BFF are here in LBC :(

[JT1923]

Ucking ell. Found an unripe fallen fig on the floor of my balcony just now and saw the tell-tale exit holes of BFF 😩 Cut it open and a larva fell out. I'm in Long Beach. Looks like they found me 😭

[Drfig]

Ughhh. That sucks

[davej]

Are these things originally from the Mediterranean area? If so then what is the effect there?

[don_sanders]

Up to 80% fruit drop

[davej]

don_sanders Have they been a problem there "forever" or did they originate somewhere else?

[Figland]

Go to the main thread and see what Silba adipata says about that, he said over ten years they have been a problem, but have been there much longer. ( France)

[iSFOfig]

Oh no! So sorry they found your tree.

[Kid Fig]

Time to call snoop dogg and the dogg pound and ride on these BFF Fools!

[mwhight34]

Aw man that’s no good, I’m sorry I fear it’s only a matter of time before they make it to central and northern CA. Sure hope the USDA can find someway to contain

[oat]

I think it’s just a matter of time 😕

[Ktrain]

So sorry to hear that....As I say time and time again, every year it's something new to fight off!

[It Could use another day]

hopefully they stay on the west coast, i personally don't think people in infected areas should ship any plants with soil outside of the area.

[RosyPosy]

Sorry

[Wunga]

I planted a tree in lb so I'll find out next year if I need to chop it down when I visit. Satisfied my cravings for decades.

[Figland]

You don't need to chop it down, but it might need some management, ie, covering figs, removing damaged figs.

[Wunga]

I think my brother is too lazy to do that. Plus he hardly eats them.Would be wasting space if half the fruit goes bad.

[maxmonster]

No bueno

[TorontoJoe]

Is there no spray for these things? Permethrins maybe? I like keeping it organic as much as possible but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do...

Is there a sense of at what stage and when they're boring in?

[JT1923]

The data seem to show a reproduction cycle of around 30 days, meaning multiple broods per season. The fly lays eggs at the ostiole of unripe figs, but sometimes the egg laying is within 30 days of ripening and it's possible to get a ripe fig with larvae inside. Horrifying.

[Noah Mercy]

Permethrins like triazicide (Gamma-Cyhalothrin) labeling require 2 week cessation before harvest. I believe Harvey C. mentioned malathion. Even if you spray every 2 weeks, if the fly lays an egg 3 days before you harvest I don't see how you avoid it. There's another thread with more info.

[Figland]

Yes, Silba adipata has given very good instructions to all who have asked questions, check back to see the sizes he recommends covering at and how he protects his from the medfly, which is in his region. He gave the treatments they use in France and Houston has promised to work on getting them available for us here.

[MJFIGS]

Do we know how far can they fly, what do they do if there are no figs left on the tree, do they just wait around or go somewhere else

[Noah Mercy]

"They could also travel in a potted plant or a fig fruit" <- @don_sanders

BINGO!

[Figland]

I'm trying to find answers to these questions by researching other places they are in and what has been reported, those are good questions to ask out friend Silba adipata, he seems to have more information than anyone. Right now I am emailing every official I can find about stopping the shipping of fig trees from nurseries without some kind of treatment. I can't believe they are allowing these shipments and that may be why we are seven counties into this now. The newest action from USDA is to up the irradiation and forbid the transportation of fruit ( by private parties, still allowing that corporation to bring in untreated mass quantities and treat it on this side of the border,) but that seems to be not addressing the real problems. Fly can be spread through fruit and soil. some people are reporting saving their crop by sanitation. cover figs when small, Pick every fig that is damaged, don't let any sit on the ground. Destroy them. Cover soil in pots to stop their life cycle. Don't let them pupate! there is one more thing you can do JT1923, now that you have identified them, go to your local nursery or Big Box seller of fig trees and look for it there, if you find it, call the APHIS hotline or CDFA report a pest and tell them your own trees are infected, tell them you want them to stop this pest!

[Strell]

I guess that figs are not the only source of nutrition for this insect !

[Frankenberry]

Such a bummer! BFF is only a few miles south of me. Hope it doesn't travel the rest of the way...

[Noah Mercy]

I might work on a better plan than Hope... although hope is a great start. For now I am thinking I would try covering the ostiole, but it's an active discussion. I assume you are following the main PSA on this. Good luck brother, and HOLD THE LINE!

[Figland]

Fig Scouts in the field have reported that figs with kaolin clay covering the ostiole have not been infected.

[Frankenberry]

@noah mercy
Hope is what want to happen. We can be diligent, observant, carefull etc but sometimes you see the wave coming and just brace for impact. With near 100 varieties, this does not lend themselves to reasonable individual fig measures. Whatever is done if / when BFF gets here will need to be on a bigger scale.

For now nothing in and careful monitoring.

[JT1923]

Going to call the ag commissioner today and report. If I had been thinking clearly I would have saved the fig and larva for inspection. I just dumped them down the garbage disposer, I was so sad and mad.

[JT1923]

Called the LA County Ag Comissioner and they told me CDFA is handling BFF and to email them with my pics. Sent the email and CDFA told me to call my Ag Comissioner 🤦🏻♀️ Oh well, at least they're both aware now.

[JT1923]

And now CDFA is coming to inspect on Friday. Fingers crossed they find absolutely nothing.

[acerpictum]

DIY trap for Black Fig Fruit Fly

https://wla.crfg.org/2021/08/04/diy-trap-for-black-fig-fruit-fly/

[JT1923]

CDFA was just here and found no other signs of BFF among my trees. Fingers crossed it was just a one-off! No official hold order for me, but I'll be sharing only cuttings and my sealed air layers for the rest of the year. I sent all the unripe figs from my first year trees with the CDFA to check back at the office, just in case. I would normally have stripped them anyway, so no biggie to sacrifice them for science!

[JT1923]

UPDATE: Just heard back from CDFA that they found seven larvae in the unripe figs I sent with the agent. All were from the same Violette de Bordeaux tree, and four of the seven larvae were desiccated inside the figs. None of the unripe figs from other plants were found to have larvae. I asked if the look-alike fly François mentioned in the sticky thread is present in CA, and they're going to check and get back to me.

My CDFA agent was really great! Friendly, professional, curious, and super respectful of my plants and property when she came out to inspect. This was my first time dealing with CDFA, and it's been a really positive experience. I wish I had met women working in science like her when I was young.