A California city is about to have all fruit trees stripped

“If left unchecked, the Oriental fruit fly could become permanently established and cause billions of dollars worth of losses annually."

by Marc Sternfield | Jan. 30, 2024

Story at a glance

More than 2,000 homeowners in the Redlands area of San Bernardino County will have the fruit ripped from their trees.

State agriculture officials are desperately trying to eradicate the invasive Oriental fruit fly, which threatens the state’s farms.

The pests lay eggs in fruit, which develop into maggots that tunnel through the crops.

(KTLA) – More than 2,000 homeowners in Southern California will have the fruit ripped from their trees, whether they like it or not, as state agriculture officials desperately try to eradicate the invasive Oriental fruit fly.

Workers are going door to door in the Redlands area of San Bernardino County to remove fruit from all citrus trees and other fruit-producing plants now through February, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The fruit removal is “mandatory” and should only be done by CDFA and other contracted workers, the department said. “Residents … are asked not to remove fruit from trees themselves and they may not move produce from their property.”

If fruit falls from trees, residents are urged to double-bag it and place it in their regular trash bin – not their green waste recycling bin.

The Oriental fruit fly, which is yellow and black and looks like a tiny bee, is among several species that are infesting crops across California and threatening the state’s critical agriculture industry.

The pests lay eggs in fruit, which develop into maggots that tunnel through the crops.

“If left unchecked, the Oriental fruit fly could become permanently established and cause billions of dollars worth of losses annually, which would significantly impact California’s food supply,” CDFA said.

Other species that have prompted recent quarantines include the Queensland fruit fly, the Tau fly and the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Redland Fruit Fly — A map showing the area where agriculture workers are stripping fruit from trees to eradicate the Oriental fruit fly. January 2024. (CDFA)

Last fall, the agriculture department began dropping millions of sterile Mediterranean fruit flies over Los Angeles in a birth control effort known as a Preventative Release Program – which has been proven effective in reducing populations, officials said.