Residents of Lake Osborne Heights

Dear tropical fruit and vegetable growers and friends:

Just a quick update on Mediterranean fruit fly.

Mr. Mark Fagan, entomologist at FDACS/DPI, advised today, that we have completed the first lifecycle without any additional wild fly finds.  The last find was in the Boca Raton core on July 3rd.  The second lifecycle will be completed on August 11th and the third and final lifecycle on September 1st.  If all goes well we will seek a declaration of eradication then.  If we declare eradication it does not necessarily mean the quarantine will b e lifted at the same time.  The science panel will probably want to go another complete lifecycle before lifting the quarantine.  We completed all control operations (fruit stripping and bait spraying this past Friday).  Detection activities remain on a weekly basis.  Aerial release of sterile flies will continue TBD.

Note, one life cycle for Medfly is about 21 days in the SFL summer.

Let's hope the eradication is successful and we don't get any wild medfly finds for a longest time in years.

Any questions please contact Mr. Mark Fagan at FDACS/DPI, or Mr. Nolan Lemon at USDA/APHIS:

Mark Fagan, FDACS
faganm@doacs.state.fl.us
(954) 797-1703
(954) 410-4119

Nolan Leman
USDA-APHIS
Legislative & Pub Affairs
301-526-7843 (cell)
919-855-7008 (O)
919-855-7016 (Fax)


All the best. --David