Fruit Fly Infestation Causes L.A. Neighborhoods to Quarantine for the First Time

People living in parts of southern California are being asked not to move any fruits and vegetables from their property in an effort to quarantine an invasive fruit fly.

California's Department of Food and Agriculture put an area of 79 square miles around Los Angeles County under restrictions in an effort to prevent the spread of the Tau fly.

Over 20 flies were detected around Stevenson Ranch, near Santa Clarita, prompting the first quarantine for this type of fly in the Western Hemisphere.

The department believes the fly, which is considered a serious pest to U.S. agriculture, came to the country through uninspected produce.

"To prevent the spread of this invasive species, residents living in the quarantine area are urged not to move any fruits and vegetables from their property," the department said in a press release.

"They may be consumed or processed (i.e. juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) at the property where they were picked. Otherwise, they should be disposed-of by double-bagging in plastic and placing the bags in a bin specifically for garbage."

Inspectors are working to eliminate the flies, cutting fruit and vegetables on properties within 200 meters of detections to see if any fruit fly larvae can be found.

Teams will also be spraying an "organic-approved" material called Spinosad on these properties to eliminate adult fruit flies.

The first Tau flies were first spotted -- and then eradicated -- in California in 2016. They are around 7 millimeters in length, identified by their yellow bodies and black markings.