Commissioner Adam Putnam Announces Aerial Spraying for Oriental Fruit Fly

Randall Weiseman Florida, General, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

FDACSMIAMI, Fla.—The quarantine zone in the Redland area of Miami-Dade County implemented to help eradicate the Oriental fruit fly yesterday expanded from approximately 85-square-miles to 97-square-miles due to an additional fly find, and today the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that it will conduct aerial spraying of a product that is approved for use by organic growers as early as Friday evening, weather permitting.

“I am committed to using every weapon in the arsenal to protect agriculture in Miami-Dade County, as well as the entire state, and the aerial spraying of this product that is approved for use by organic growers is one more measure we can take to eradicate the Oriental fruit fly,” stated Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.

The product being used, Spinosad, (GF-120 NF NaturalyteTM Fruit Fly Bait) is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is approved for organic use. It is extracted from the naturally occurring soil microbe, Saccharopolyspora spinosa. It was granted a “Green Chemistry” award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which classifies it as “reduced risk” because of its good environmental profile. It is a common ingredient in garden products and veterinary medicines routinely prescribed to pets.

The department is reaching out to chemically sensitive individuals registered with Miami-Dade County, beekeepers, fish farmers, and other stakeholders who may need to make adjustments in advance of an aerial spraying.

About the Oriental fruit fly infestation in Miami-Dade County:

• The Oriental fruit fly is one of the most devastating pests to agriculture, attacking more than 430 products, and the first detection in Miami-Dade County was on Aug. 26.

• More than 160 Oriental fruit flies have been found, making this infestation the largest infestation of Oriental fruit fly in Florida history.

• Miami Dade County’s $1.6 billion agriculture industry and the 11,000 jobs it supports are threatened by this pest.

• Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam declared an agricultural state of emergency on Sept. 15, 2015.

• A map of the portion of the Redland area of Miami-Dade County that is going to be sprayed aerially is available at FreshFromFlorida.com/OrientalFruitFly.

For more information on the Oriental fruit fly and the eradication program, visit FreshFromFlorida.com/OrientalFruitFly, or call 1-888-397-1517.