Troublesome insects have shown up uninvited to gardens and farms in California’s Kern County, threatening a sizable chunk of the local economy.
What’s happening?
Invasive fruit flies have been spotted in Kern County, sparking urgent calls from officials to protect area crops and gardens. These pests, which thrive in hot weather, are capable of rapidly multiplying and damaging harvests.
“We don’t want them established in Kern County because they are detrimental to many of our agricultural crops,” Cerise Montanio, the deputy director of the county’s Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards, told local station KERO in an early-June report. Local officials are partnering with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to manage pesticide programs.
Home gardens and transported produce can be key sources of spread. “What we grow in our backyards feeds our family and feeds our community,” Victoria Hornbaker of CDFA told the station. “It’s equally as important to protect that as it is to protect the state’s agriculture.”
Why are these invasive fruit flies concerning?
Kern’s $3.7 billion citrus and almond industries — making up 40% of the county’s agricultural value, per KERO — are on the line. If these invasive flies take hold, they could decimate crops, leading to job losses, higher food prices, and even ripple effects across the national food supply and global food systems…