SOUTH TEXAS — Federal and state authorities have quarantined more than 1,000 acres of citrus crops in Hidalgo and Cameron counties after detecting Mexican fruit flies, officials said.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Texas Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Mexfly larvae on farmland in the region. An initial quarantine was imposed in December after the pests were discovered in a grapefruit grove in La Feria.
Officials advised residents not to leave fruit on trees or on the ground and to avoid sending fruit outside the quarantined areas. Mexican fruit flies are attracted to citrus fruits such as grapefruits, oranges, and mangoes, and the USDA warned they pose a serious threat to the Texas citrus industry.