In 1989, a sudden invasion of Mediterranean fruit flies (Ceratitis capitata, "medflies") appeared in the US state of California and began devastating crops. Scientists were puzzled and said that the sudden appearance of the insects "defies logic", and some speculated "biological terrorists" were responsible.Johnson, John. "Invasion by Medfly Defies Logic, Scientists Say Infestation: Experts discover peculiar patterns in the spread of the stubborn fruit fly", Los Angeles Times, December 30, 1989, accessed February 21, 2012. Analysis suggested that an outside hand played a role in the dense infestation.Howard, Russell D. et al. Homeland Security and Terrorism: Readings and Interpretations, (Google Books), McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006, p. 49, ().Pratt, Robert J. "Invasive Species - A Threat to the Homeland?", USAWC Strategy Research Project, U.S. Army War College, April 7, 2003, accessed February 21, 2012.
A person or group calling itself "The Breeders" took responsibility for the bioterrorist attack, as financial retaliation for the environmental damage caused by the state's Malathion aerial spraying; the group's members were never identified. Subsequently, three months after "The Breeders" announced the medfly release, the state ended its decade-long Malathion program and sought alternate ways to handle destructive insects.
Background
Largely because of its sunny Mediterranean climate and widespread irrigation, California is the world's fifth largest supplier of food and agriculture commodities. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, "California agriculture is nearly a $36.6 billion dollar industry that generates $100 billion in related economic activity." The state’s agricultural sales first exceeded $30 billion in 2004. Since 1975, California had seen small annual infestations of the medfly, typically ascribing their appearance to the casual shipping of fruit, and visits, between relatives and friends in California and Hawaii.
Medflies breed rapidly and eat fruit with a voracious appetite.Root-Bernstein, Robert S. "Infectious Terrorism", The Atlantic, May 1991, accessed February 19, 2012. Notably, they represent a risk to 22 crops in California, including apples, apricots, avocados, bell peppers, cherries, dates, figs, grapes, grapefruits, kiwis, limes, mandarin oranges, nectarines, olives, oranges, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, prunes and tomatoes.
Medfly infestations are not without precedent, both in California and elsewhere in North America. Between 1975 and 1993 the state of California spent more than $170 million on medfly eradication programs meant to contain 12 different infestations.Wheeler, Mark. "Fly Wars ", Discovery Magazine, February 1993, accessed May 31, 2021. In 1996 the state began utilizing sterile medflies in its eradication program and between 1996 and 2007 the state experienced five infestations. A major 1981 medfly infestation cost California $40 million by itself. The 1981 infestation turned into a political crisis and led to the beginning of the state's aerial spraying program in July of that year.Anderson, Ian. "Medfly fighters win their battle the hard way", (Google Books link), New Scientist, Vol. 95, No. 1324, p. 815, ISSN 0262-4079.Brazil, Eric. "The political stakes in the Medfly infestation", California Journal, April 1981, pp. 137-39. Medflies were found in traps as late as 2007 in Solano County, California. The first medflies in Florida turned up in 1929 and they have been a constant threat to the citrus crop there ever since. Medfly sightings occurred in Florida in 1997 and 2010.
Attack
Beginning in 1975, when medflies were first seen in the area, California deployed small McPhail insect traps to attract and capture the medflies to help measure the estimated population. In 1989, as many flies were captured as had been captured in the previous fifteen years combined. The greatest concentration of medflies were found in Orange County and within a triangle linking the eastern edge of the Los Angeles Basin with San Bernardino and Riverside County.
On December 8, 1989, the state retreated from its position that the 12 outbreaks since August each represented "isolated infestations" that could be easily eradicated after a panel of scientific advisers suggested it was not possible.Chavez, Stephanie and Simon, Richard. "State Launches New Offensive Against Medfly", Los Angeles Times, December 8, 1989, accessed February 21, 2012. It was instead ordered that, rather than one or two aerial applications of the infected communities, more than a dozen sprayings would be necessary over a period of months.Chavez, Stephanie and Simon, Richard. "Months-Long Spraying of Medfly Is Ordered Infestation: Officials admit underestimating the outbreak. Meantime, the malathion opposition grows.", Los Angeles Times, December 8, 1989, accessed February 21, 2012. In addition, Malathion was no longer used alone, but mixed in a four-to-one ratio with Nu-Lure bait to attract insects to the area.Leyva, J. "Removal of Malathion Residues from Lettuce for Medfly Eradication Projects " (Memorandum), California Department of Pesticide Regulation, August 16, 1995, accessed February 19, 2012.
The period of infestation stretched from July 1989 through November 1990. In the years since medflies were discovered in California, an average of $26 million was spent annually to control them; but 1989's attack was estimated to have cost $60 million in eradication efforts, making 1989 the second-most expensive year in the state's program."Palo Alto Pests: The 1981 Medfly Invasion ", paloaltohistory.com, accessed February 23, 2012. It is not clear whether the $60 million was the total cost, or only represented California's half of a possible $120 million cost, as half the costs were borne by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Claim of responsibility In December 1989, a two-page letter addressing Mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley was sent to the Los Angeles Times and The Fresno Bee ostensibly from an "ecoterrorist organization" calling itself "The Breeders"."Medfly letter puts blame on mystery group, San Jose Mercury News, December 5, 1989. The Breeders claimed that it was responsible for the summer release of the medflies as retaliation for the environmental damage caused by the Malathion aerial application by the state.Bonfante, Jordan. "Medfly Madness", Time, January 8, 1990, accessed December 25, 2008. It also threatened to expand its medfly infestation into the San Joaquin Valley.The Fresno Bee, "Medfly threat prompts new bill Ayala proposes law after group vows to unleash flies", (login required ), The Fresno Bee, January 18, 1990, accessed February, 23, 2012. The letters claimed that officials would have noticed an uptick in medfly numbers around March 1989. The group promised to make the aerial spraying program politically and financially impossible through the coordinated release of thousands of medflies. As early as December 1989 the group's claim was taken seriously.Carus, Seth - Counterproliferation Research, National Defense University, Bioterrorism and Biocrimes: The Illicit Use of biological Agents Since 1900, (Google Books link), The Minerva Group, Inc., 2002, p. 173, (). Initially, the letter was dismissed as "some crank trying to get a lot of publicity",Published on December 2, 1989, Daily News of Los Angeles (CA) GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR MEDFLY WOES but there was evidence the group played a role in the infestation. Certain characteristics of the 1989 medfly infestation led investigators to the conclusion that someone was responsible for deliberately releasing medflies.Howitt, Arnold M. and Pangi, Robyn L. Countering Terrorism: Dimensions of Preparedness, (Google Books link), MIT Press, 2003, pp. 202-03, (). The dense medfly population coupled with the low number of medfly larvae found in the infested areas left entomologists baffled as to how the infestation could be completely natural."Chronology of CBW Incidents Targeting Agriculture 1915-2008 ", James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Middlebury College, March 2009, accessed February 19, 2012. Neither the writer of the letter, nor any members of the alleged group were ever identified.Drogin, Bob. "High school mixes algebra, homeland security", Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2009, accessed February 21, 2012.
Response The Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved in the investigation and the letters were turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department's Criminal Conspiracy Section. During the course of the investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture attempted to contact The Breeders through a classified ad placed in the Los Angeles Times. The ad stated: "Breeders if you're for real send one of your little friends. We want to talk. Call John at USDA."
In response to the threat, California State Senator Ruben S. Ayala introduced the bill SB1754 in the Senate Agriculture and Water Resources Committee to make it a felony for any person to import Mediterranean fruit flies into the state,"Panel OKS Bill Making Medfly Import Felony", (login required), The Fresno Bee, March 7, 1990, accessed February 23, 2012. rather than the misdemeanor it already was. The bill included prison sentences ranging from 16 months to three years, and fines up to $10,000."3 Pest Bills Pass AG Committee", (login required), Fresno Bee, May 15, 1990, accessed February 23, 2012. Senator Ayala's proposal became law June 22, 1990, and added Section 6306 to the Food and Agriculture Code.
In the year following the attack, there were seizures of postal shipments that sought to intercept medfly larvae. In addition, 61,731 passengers and 2,430 cargo shipments were searched entering through airports, but no larvae were discovered. There were five "intensive searches" of cargo and baggage as they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport that tested positive for medfly larvae.
After its repeated sprayings failed to eradicate the medfly threat, California halted its Malathion aerial spraying program in March 1990, three months after the threat from The Breeders was received. The state instead opted to try the voluntary introduction of millions of radiation-sterilized medflies to interrupt the reproductive cycle and control the population.Dunn, Ashley. "State Gambles That Sterile Flies Can Do the Job: Medfly: Agriculture officials are about to attempt a tactical shift in the battle, replacing the aerial spraying of malathion", Los Angeles Times, May 16, 1990, accessed February 23, 2012.
Later, South Dakota reported that a similar attack with a corn or soybean pests could devastate their agriculture industry.The threat of agricultural terrorism South Dakota Department of Agriculture In May 2001, Mark Urlaub, the Department of Agriculture's biosecurity program director, announced that investigators were "taking another look at" the 1989 attack.Caruba, Alan. "A New Terrorism Comes of Age", Conservative Monitor, May 2001, accessed February 23, 2012.
See also Agro-terrorism Ecotage Entomological warfare
References
Further reading Dunn, Ashley. "Officials Advertise to Contact Mystery Group Claiming Medfly Releases", Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1990, accessed February 21, 2012. Haberman, Clyde. "Retro Report: The Battle Over the Medfly", The New York Times, March 14, 2014, accessed May 31, 2021. Sheer, Jennifer L.O. Breeders: A Case Study, Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense, 15, July, 2011, accessed 19 February 2012. Smith, Alexandra. "California Resumes Air War Against Invading Fruit Fly, Stirring Debate", The New York Times, December 10, 1989, accessed February 19, 2012.