California City Implements Fruit Removal Across 2,000 Homes to Halt Invasive Fly Spread

State workers are visiting 2,000 homes in Redlands to strip fruit from trees in an effort to prevent the spread of the Oriental fruit fly to the rest of California. This mandatory state-led effort aims to disrupt the insect's life cycle by removing the fruit, which the fly lays its eggs inside. Both residential and commercial citrus trees are at risk, and residents are urged to wait for trained state workers to remove the fruit and to dispose of fallen fruit in regular trash bags. The Oriental fruit fly poses a serious threat to California's agricultural industry, attacking over 230 types of crops.