Early results suggest sterile flies may protect S. California from medfly

Abstract

Sterile medflies are being released at a weekly rate of 125,000 to 200,000 flies per week per square mile over a 2,155-square-mile area of urban Southern California to help prevent the development of new medfly infestations. This areawide approach reduced the annual number of infestations found from 1994 to 1998 in the treated area by 93.3%, compared to infestations detected between 1987 and 1993.