Agricultural officials in Fresno County, Calif. recently discovered a male peach fruit fly in a trap in the eastern portion of Fresno.

The trap was located in a peach tree in a residential neighborhood.

Though the discovery of a single fly does not trigger quarantine action, officials will begin delimitation trapping in an 81-square-mile region around the find, according to Fresno Ag Commissioner Les Wright.

If during the delimitation trapping six adults or a mated female are found, quarantine actions will follow.

The peach fruit fly is native to South and Southeast Asia, where it attacks a wide variety of fruits. It is considered a serious pest to agriculture and the residents of Fresno County. Damage occurs when the fly larva feeds on the insides of fruits and vegetables such as: peaches and other soft stone fruit, citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant.

Information and a partial list of host plants is available online.

Delimitation trapping has already begun. During the next few days nearly 500 traps will be deployed, followed by daily checks of those traps over the next two weeks. If no additional flies are detected, then the traps will revert to bi-weekly checks for the next three life cycles as determined by accumulated heat units.

The public’s cooperation in allowing these small traps to be placed in host trees on their property is very important to successfully locating the source of the infestation and the eradication of this potentially devastating pest.

In 2006, Fresno County successfully eradicated a peach fruit fly infestation.