BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Invasive fruit flies are threatening local gardens and farms in Kern County, prompting officials to urge residents to check their plants and take preventive measures.
- Invasive fruit flies like Mediterranean and Oriental species are threatening Kern County crops due to hot weather conditions.
- Local and state agriculture officials are collaborating to monitor and control the pest population through trapping and pesticide programs.
- Backyard gardens and transported produce are common sources of spread; residents are urged to check plants and buy locally.
- Citrus and almonds make up $3.7 billion of Kern’s agriculture—40% of the county’s total value—highlighting the economic risk.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Back in 2023, Southern California had an outbreak of invasive fruit flies, causing significant damage to people’s crops and gardens. The CDFA is urging Kern County growers to check their plants.
With the hot weather here, Kern County is more vulnerable to invasive fruit flies and more conducive to their rapid spread. That’s according to Cerise Montanio, the Deputy Director of the Kern County Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards.
They’re working in collaboration with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, as they manage the pesticide programs here locally. "They are pests that are unwanted. We don't want them established in Kern County because they are detrimental to many of our agricultural crops." Montanio said.
These invasive pests include Mediterranean and Oriental fruit flies. Inspectors conduct multiple trapping operations and monitor for different invasive pests — and they can be found everywhere, even in your backyard.
Victoria Hornbaker, is the Director, for Plant Health & Prevention Services, at CDFA and she says, "What we grow in our backyards feeds our family and feeds our community. So it's equally as important to protect that as it is to protect the state's agriculture. And I'm sure, as you know, in California, we feed the world."
To help mitigate the threat, residents are encouraged to buy locally sourced plants and crops.
"The I-5 and the 99 are major thoroughfares for transportation, and pests tend to be spread along those types of corridors. So people inadvertently bring them on vehicles, or they bring plants or produce — let’s say from down south — and as they travel through Kern County, those pests get deposited here." Montanio said.
Highlighting the economic impact, Montanio notes that citrus and almonds alone constitute $3.7 billion of Kern County’s agricultural industry — representing 40% of the county’s total agricultural value. To further combat the issue, residents are urged to properly dispose of fallen or rotting fruits by bagging them.
For more information, visit cdfa.ca.gov.
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