MIAMI (AP) - Florida officials say an invasive and destructive agricultural pest has been eradicated from Miami-area farmlands.
Oriental fruit flies were discovered in monitoring traps in Miami-Dade County’s Redland area in June. In a statement Tuesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said the outbreak had been stopped without the need for quarantine.
To kill the flies, bait was spread on utility poles, trees and other objects around the traps where the first flies were found.
The Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) is considered one of the world’s most serious agricultural pests because of the potential economic harm. They lay eggs in more than 430 different fruits, vegetables and nuts, ruining them for human consumption.
An outbreak in 2015 and 2016 in Miami-Dade County required a nearly 100-square-mile (260-square kilometer) quarantine zone.
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