<p>The Mexican Fruit Fly is posing a serious threat to Texas agriculture.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">An 85 square mile area in South Texas has been quarantined as larval Mexican Fruit Flies were spotted in the area, according to the Texas Register. The larvae of the fly feed on fruit including the, causing it to turn into a rotten, un-sellable mess. <img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/fruit-fly.jpg" alt="IMAGES - MAY 24 2013" />“In terms of what the quarantine means, first of all, it’s the extra cost,” says Ray Prewett, President of Texas Citrus Mutual. Fruit will be able to leave the area, however, it will have to be fumigated or sprayed, which incurs extra costs. Additionally, the process can cause aesthetic damage to the peel, according to State Impact Texas.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">To combat a potential infestation, the USDA is releasing a mass of sterile male flies, intended to break the fly’s life cycle.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In addition, Bryan Black, Director of Communication for the Texas Department of Agriculture, says the USDA uses an array of bait traps to capture and monitor the fly, computer models to track quarantine effectiveness and sanitation of fruit packing plants. The methods allow Texas to continue as the third largest citrus producer in the nation.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Texas citrus contributes more than $140 million annually to our state’s economy, (it’s) a valuable part of Texas’ booming agricultural industry,” Black told State Impact Texas.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Abandoned groves in the area represent another complication. Fruit goes un-harvested on the tree, which creates the perfect habitat for the fruit fly. Two such groves in the Rio Grande Valley were found to have fly larvae in their fruit last year.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for updates on the quarantine.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/05/22/quarantine-in-south-texas-as-mexican-fruit-fly-invades-again/">Fruit Fly Report</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
