‘Race Against Time’: Corpsmembers Rush to Protect Against Med Fly

Corpsmembers from the CCC Tahoe Center work together to gather fruit off trees in a quarantine zone in Northern California.
An old nemesis of California agriculture arrived in the South Bay late last year, and Corpsmembers were once again called upon to help protect against it.
Mediterranean Fruit Fly was first trapped in 1975. This invasive species, native to Africa, can seriously harm citrus if it becomes established.
An Inland Empire Corpsmember standing atop a ladder grabs oranges off a tree in Fremont, CA as part of a pest infestation emergency response.
Working with our partners at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the CCC has a decades long history of hooking, twisting, and removing fruit from quarantine zones.
In Alameda County, Corpsmembers from #CCCTahoe and #CCCInlandEmpire were among the multitude of #CaliforniaConservationCorps and local corps crews to be called upon to help.

A Tahoe Corpsmember prepares to throw an orange into a trash bag as part of the CDFA response to Alameda County.
By removing fruit from homes, businesses, and fields, the pest won’t spread and fresh, healthy fruit will be grow in the future.
To learn more about the Mediterranean Fruit Fly you can visit CDFA’s website.