Crop Threatening Oriental Fruit Flies Found In Pinellas

The discovery of two tiny fruit flies in Safety Harbor has sparked a big reaction from state agriculture officials. That's because two Oriental fruit flies were found in an ensnare in Safety Harbor.

The find is significant because officials call the Oriental fruit fly "one of the most solemn of the world's fruit fly pests." They say it attacks more than 100 dissimilar fruits, including citrus, apples, guava, mango, tomatoes and peppers.

The Florida Department of Agriculture has launched a trapping program in an 81 square mile area nearby where the fruit flies were found. Officials there say if pesticides are essential, they alert the public beforehand as to when and where they will be applied. Investiagtors are currently looking into how the two flies got into Florida.