The cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove have been placed under quarantine Wednesday in light of an uninvited and unwelcome visitor: the oriental fruit fly, an invasive pest that attacks over 230 crops including fruits, nuts and vegetables.
The order by the California Department of Food and Agriculture bars fruit from within the quarantine zone from being distributed outside of it. The goal is to keep the oriental fruit fly from spreading to more crops while working to eliminate the pest.
The quarantine zone in Orange County measures 87 square miles , bordered on the north by Anaheim, on the south by John Wayne Airport, on the west by Huntington Beach, and on the east by State Highway 55.
Residents living in the quarantine zones can help prevent the spread of the oriental fruit flies by not moving those crops from their property. Residents can consume or process (juice, freeze, cook or grind in a garbage disposal) their homegrown produce if it hasn’t been contaminated. For residents who prefer to dispose of their crop, the food and agriculture department recommends double-bagging it and placing it in the regular trash, not the green waste bin.