The Farmers Market at College of the Canyons supplies many fruits and vegetables for every family- however, there is a small family that is an uninvited guest amongst the crowd.
A tiny evasive Tau fruit fly that originated from Asia is now responsible for the
first-ever quarantine of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
In Stevenson Ranch, they are having their weekly Farmer’s Market where these
farmers are making sure that their produce is well protected.
“It’s windy, the unlikely likelihood of the fly coming around on a really
windy day is very unlikely so we often put the netting for today,” said Richard Espinoza.
And while these fruit flies are still a present threat out here in Stevenson Ranch, some
farmers may think it is too risky to take their produce to the Farmer’s Market, the customers however think otherwise.
“I’ve been shopping at farmer’s markets for about 10 years now, the quality of the produce is just better because it’s not being shipped all over the place,” said customer Jay T. Smith.
Fresh produce and even fresher smiles are served here, but how could this fruit fly cause such a commotion? Well, these little pests have the chance to contaminate food with their bacteria and pathogens making the very fruits people eat possibly dangerous. It’s why the quarantine is in effect, to lower the risk of these flies traveling and spreading throughout California. In fact, such nesting grounds can also be found in host plants such as peppers, cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, and more.
In efforts to reduce any contamination, the California Department of Food and Agriculture officials have asked not to move any fruits from their homes or trees and to make sure to double bag their trash.
