TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Tuesday that eradication efforts have started after three Oriental fruit flies were discovered in South Florida.
The fruit flies, which were last found in Florida in 2015, are dangerous to the farming industry because they attack 400 different fruits, vegetables and nuts, Putnam’s department said in a news release.
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The three fruit flies were found in southern Miami-Dade County.
“We successfully eradicated this invasive pest, protecting Florida’s $120 billion agriculture industry, three years ago, and together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture we’ll implement an aggressive eradication program to do so again,” Putnam said in a prepared statement.
Eradication involves attracting male fruit flies to bait. The males die when they feed on the bait.