USDA APHIS PPQ

Field Operations (Florida)

Fruit Fly Detection Program (FFD)

Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP)

David F. Petendree, Supervisory PPQ Officer

March 10, 2016
 Cooperative Programs
All FFD and CHRP activities are cooperative in nature and involve a fully integrated
partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
(FDACS), the agricultural industry, and the general public.

FFD Mission: Protect the health and value of American agricultural resources
threatened by the establishment of exotic fruit fly pests.

CHRP Mission: Sustain the United States citrus industry, maintain growers continued
access to export markets, and safeguard the other citrus growing states against citrus
pests.
 Florida Risk Potential
• Agriculture is Florida’s No. 2 industry, generating $142 billion and supporting 2 million
jobs (2014).

• Florida has 47,500 farming operations covering 9.5 million acres of land.

• Florida ranks 2nd in US production of fresh vegetables and produces 65% of the annual
US citrus crop.

• Florida has favorable climate, geography, crop diversity, and multiple international
air/marine ports, which make it a high risk for the introduction of pests.

• Studies have shown that at least one new pest is introduced into Florida every month.
 Agricultural Pests
• Fruit flies and citrus pests pose a direct threat to agricultural crops and trees.

• Fruit flies have a wide host range (400 host plants), extensive climatic range, and a high
reproductive capacity (300-800 eggs).

• Citrus pests have already devastated thousands of acres of groves in Florida, impacted
the health and vitality of existing citrus trees, resulted in increased production costs, and
impacted the marketability of fresh fruit.
 Targeted Fruit Flies

Mexican Fruit Fly Mediterranean Fruit Fly Caribbean Fruit Fly

Oriental Fruit Fly Guava Fruit Fly Melon Fruit Fly

 Fruit Fly Trapping Array
• Risk categories: high, medium, or seasonal

• Routine trapping vs. Preventative Release

Program areas

• ~56,000 fruit fly traps placed across 8,756

square miles in 43 counties

• Traps present year round as far north as

Jacksonville and as far south as Key West

• Seasonal traps placed March through

November in the Florida panhandle
 Preventative Release Program
• Sterile Insect Release: A method of biological control, whereby overwhelming numbers
of sterile male fruit flies are released that compete with wild males for females.

• The Sterile Insect Release Facility is located in Sarasota, Florida and oversees the final
rearing stages and release of sterile Mediterranean fruit flies.

• ~125,000 sterile Mediterranean fruit flies are aerially released per square mile in 4
designated high risk zones (632 miles2) each week.

• PRP is safe for the public, has no adverse environmental impacts, is biologically based,
species specific, and cost effective.
Florida PRP Zones
 Fruit Fly Detection Traps

Jackson Trap Multi-Lure Trap

McPhail Trap
 Fruit Fly Attraction Arsenal
Fruit flies communicate by the production and detection of chemical messengers called
pheromones. Parapheromones (lures) are synthetic compounds that successfully mimic
pheromones and are used in pest control and monitoring.

Trimedlure: Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Methyl Eugenol: Oriental Fruit Fly, Guava Fruit Fly, and Peach Fruit Fly

Cuelure: Melon Fly and Queensland Fruit Fly

3 component lure: Food baits are used to attract females of most species of fruit
flies, including Mexican Fruit Fly
 FFD Trap Inspections
• Survey technicians check traps on either a 7, 14, or 21-
day interval depending upon the county risk category.

• Traps are rotated every few weeks to maximize

geographical coverage.

• Traps are baited every 6 weeks to maintain lure

efficacy.

• All traps are screened for the presence of targeted

fruit flies, but in routine sections Mediterranean fruit
flies are screened under a black light for the presence
of fluorescent dye.

• All targeted specimens are submitted to the

identification lab in Palmetto, FL.
 FFD Information Management
• Trap inspection results are recorded on
both a manual survey card and in a PDA
to ensure data safety and security.

• eTrap is a multifunctional database used

to store, track, and manage FFD
activities (staff assignments, inspections,
and historical survey data).

• GPS/GIS Mapping: Open Street Maps is

used in conjunction with eTrap to
generate site/route maps, criteria zones,
and emergency program boundaries.
 Fruit Fly Emergency Programs

• 24 major fruit fly outbreaks in Florida over the last 20 years

• Laboratory ID needed to confirm species and conduct DNA analysis

• Incident Command System (Federal and State personnel)

 Survey: Traps in the targeted area are increased to delimit the outbreak
 Sterile Insect Release: If applicable, the area is flooded with sterile flies
 Control: Host fruit is removed from certain properties along with
application of organic compounds
 Regulatory: The movement of host material is restricted
 Public Relations: A community notification and outreach program is
initiated

• Notification to trading partners may result in commodity restrictions

• Eradication is species dependent (months to years)

 Targeted Citrus Pests

Citrus Black Spot Citrus Canker Citrus Greening

Asian Citrus Psyllid Sweet Orange Scab Citrus Variegated Citrus Leprosis
Chlorosis
 Citrus Health Response Program
• The Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) was established in 2006.

• CHRP concentrates on the development and implementation of standards for citrus

inspection, regulatory oversight, disease management, education, and training.

• CHRP operations in Florida are focused on three primary activities:

- ACP Monitoring
- Multiple Pest Survey
- Regulatory Oversight
 ACP Monitoring
• Citrus Health Management Areas (CHMA)

• Coordinated citrus grower attack on ACP

• The best defense (currently) against the spread of citrus greening

• ~5,400 citrus blocks tap sampled every 3 weeks to determine ACP populations levels.
There are currently 34
designated CHMA’s statewide
encompassing over 430,000
acres of citrus.
 Multiple Pest Survey (MPS)
• MPS takes place in both citrus groves and on residential properties.

• Grove block selections are based upon host susceptibility to citrus

pests.

• Residential selections are based upon travel census data.

• Outreach is an important component of MPS Residential.

 Regulatory Operations
• Florida Statewide Quarantines:
- Citrus canker
- Citrus greening (HLB)
- Asian citrus psyllid
- Sweet orange scab
- Citrus black spot (partial)

• CHRP enters into compliance agreements with establishments engaged in regulated

activities, which allows the program to make efficient use of regulatory personnel.

• CHRP maintains agreements with citrus packinghouses, distributors, gift fruit shippers,
nurseries, and citrus peel processors.

• APHIS is granted regulatory authority by Congress to issue civil

penalties in cases where establishments violate regulations.
Citrus Packinghouses
• Enforce domestic citrus fruit regulations

• Verify shipments meet international

phytosanitary standards for export
certification

• Verify citrus fruit grove origin

• Perform chemical testing on decontaminates

• Inspect fruit to ensure freedom from pests

• Ensure shipments are free of leaves/stems

• Monitor fruit segregation

• Verify container labelling certification

 Enhancing Diagnostics
• Digital cameras used to submit images
of suspect citrus pests.

• CHRP Pathologist provides feedback

within a few hours.

• ImmunoStrip test used to confirm citrus

canker in packinghouses (97%
confirmation rate).

• Plant Pathologists, Supervisors, and

Quality Assurance Officers are
authorized to conduct ImmunoStrip
testing.
 Citrus Distributors and Gift Fruit Shippers

• Verify that documentation displays

proper origin and certification

• Check that non-Florida citrus fruit

adheres to domestic quarantine
regulations

• Ensure gift fruit boxes are labeled with

proper certification

• Educate facilities on the risks of shipping

untreated backyard citrus fruit
Citrus Nurseries
• All citrus nursery stock for interstate
movement must be grown in a state
certified facility

• Inspectors verify the integrity of

greenhouse structures, ensure proper
chemical treatments are applied, and
survey for the presence of citrus pests

• Citrus plants must be individually labeled

to ensure traceability and accompanied by
a Federal Limited Permit
 CHRP Information Management
• Survey inspection results are recorded on both a
manual survey card (residential) and in a PDA to
ensure data safety and security.

• Integrated Plant Health Information System (IPHIS):

residential survey and regulatory information

• PICS (Pest Incident Control System): grove survey

information

• CHRP Packinghouse Database: packinghouse

inspections and citrus fruit harvest permits

• ArcMap: supports program mapping needs

 FFD/CHRP Quality Assurance
• Quality Assurance Officers are assigned to each program office to oversee:

- technician field evaluations

- survey route book assessments

- packinghouse procedures (CHRP)

- placement of dyed target flies (FFD)

- placement of tags, citrus leaves, and branches (CHRP)

 FFD/CHRP Employee Training
• New Employee Orientation Training
• Initial program overview by local supervisor
• FFD hands-on training (FFD Entomologists)
• CHRP hands-on training (CHRP Pathologists)

• Annual Certification Training

• Both FFD and CHRP employees must complete an annual refresher training and
certification in their respective program area

• Director Office Reviews (FFD)

• Book Evaluations
• Employee Field Assessments
• Standard Operating Procedures
Questions?