Texas citrus leader blames 'endless cycle' of fruit fly quarantines on Mexico and backyard fruit

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture reinstated a Mexican fruit fly quarantine in Peñitas and the counties of Hidalgo and Cameron.

Larvae from the pest were found in a residential property in Peñitas and a commercial grove in La Feria.

Fruit fly damage potential

Dale Murden, President of Texas Citrus Mutual, describes Texas as trapped in an endless cycle of fruit fly quarantines, a frustrating saga he blamed on backyard fruit left to rot and untreated imports from Mexico.

“There’s no plan in Mexico to even remotely deal with fruit flies, and to compound the problem in Texas, our dooryard populations make it very difficult for us to gain complete control,” he explained. 

The executive explained that there are over 80 different host plants for the pest in the state, and because fruit trees are so ubiquitous, “everybody's backyard has something that attracts fruit flies.”

He added that addressing this issue is a top priority for the organization, stressing that an infestation could be catastrophic for local citrus growers.

“We've often said you get [citrus greening disease] or canker, and it's like dealing with cancer,” he said. “Find yourself in a fruit fly quarantine, and that's like dealing with a heart attack. It's a lot more sudden and immediate.”

He noted that APHIS’ sterile fly rearing facility is essential for eradicating the pest. Texas Citrus Mutual also conducts ongoing outreach to encourage homeowners to remove fruit from trees, reducing available host material.

However, Murden warned that the state is experiencing recurring fruit fly quarantines and emphasized that regulating incoming fruit is essential to address the problem.

The executive insists that the US neighbor to the south lacks a specific fruit fly prevention protocol, which would allow local growers to nip the problem in the bud. 

“You've got to start where the source is, and I think until we have a better handle on solutions in Mexico, it's going to be the same,” he says.

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