State Sprays Burbank Zone After Trapping 3 Fruit Flies

The discovery of three Oriental fruit flies has prompted ground spraying of the insecticide dibrom within a nine-square-mile area of Burbank and Glendale, Los Angeles County and state agricultural officials said Thursday.

The operation covers an 8 1/2-square-mile area of Burbank bounded by Empire Avenue on the north, the Ventura Freeway on the south, Hollywood Way on the west and Kenneth Road to Western Avenue on the east, said Bob Atkins, Los Angeles County deputy agricultural commissioner. The Western Avenue portion includes a half-square-mile area of west Glendale, Atkins said.

A two-person state agricultural crew began spraying the area on Saturday, one day after two of the crop-destroying insects, both males, were found in traps in the 1200 block of Orange Grove Avenue. A single male fly was discovered nearby in the 1500 block of Clark Avenue on Thursday.

Spraying to Continue

Terry Lorick, a state entomologist, said the spraying will probably continue for another eight weeks. He said once the affected area has been treated, workers must wait two weeks before returning for another application. The process must be carried out three or four times to ensure eradication of the pest, he said.

The Oriental fruit fly attacks more than 230 fruits and vegetables, including apples, peaches, avocados and bananas, Lorick said. The insect, which grows slightly larger than a housefly and is yellow, has been detected in nine areas of the county this summer, including Cerritos, Downey and Long Beach.

Although it is as serious a threat to agriculture as the Mediterranean fruit fly, Lorick said, the Oriental fruit fly is much easier to eradicate.

The main reason is that the bait used to attract the Oriental fruit fly is much more effective than the one used on the Medfly, Lorick said. In addition to dibrom, it consists primarily of methyl eugenol, an oily substance that exudes a strong, spicy odor, he said.

Authorities said the operation in Burbank and Glendale is more low- key than other treatment programs because of the small area involved. As a result, agricultural workers have decided to use ground spraying rather than aerial spraying.

Utility Poles

Some of the surface areas targeted for spraying include utility poles, street trees and fence posts.

“It’s a very simple treatment program,” Lorick said. “It’s much more effective than any other treatments that we have.”

Lorick said only a small amount of dibrom, equal to one teaspoon for each gallon, was mixed in the bait. “A person would have to lick off the material on several thousand telephone poles before they felt any ill effects,” he said.

Although Burbank and Glendale are not agricultural areas, Lorick said, a lot of fruit and vegetable-carrying trucks pass through the two cities on the way to markets in downtown Los Angeles.