Provided by Dr. Marion Fuller
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
Report Dated 08/21/98
Fly count: No flies have been detected over the past several days. The total count is 134 since the initial find on July 9th. The last fly was trapped on August 10th.
Traps:As of Tuesday, 4520 traps were deployed over the 207 square mile survey area: 3507 Jackson, 265 McPhail, and 748 yellow panel traps. Over 11,305 traps have been serviced since the initial detection in Sebring.
Treatment: The sixth aerial bait treatment is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning, at first light, pending favorable weather conditions. This treatment will take place only over the northern block. Ground crews continue their work in the various buffered areas throughout the week.
Environmental Monitoring: The following results are from samples collected August 14 (pre) and August 15 (post), representing the fifth aerial treatment for the northern block and fourth (final, unless additional flies are trapped) treatment for the southern block:
| Pretreatment | Post Treatment | |
| Lake Sebring | 0.5 ppb | 1.8 ppb |
| Dinner Lake | 0.36 ppb | 1.5 ppb |
| Little Red Water | BDL | 1.1 ppb |
| Denton | BDL | 0.1 - 0.3 ppb (between the MDL and PQL) |
| Litttle Bonnet | BDL | 0.83 ppb |
| Jackson Canal | - | - |
| Red Beach | - | 0.1 - 0.3 ppb (between the MDL and PQL) |
Malaoxon was not detected in any of the samples
The method detection limit (MDL) and Practical Limit of Quantitation (PQL) remain unchanged at 0.1 ppb and 0.3 ppb respectively.
Results from Jackson canal and Red Beach (pre) are still pending, and will be reported as soon as available.
The following results are from drift card samples collected during the same treatment:
The results of samples collected from the product formulation and bait mixture associated with the same treatment event:
| Malathion | Malaoxon | Isomalathion | |
| Product formulation | 94.5% | BDL | 0.17% |
| Bait mixture | 19.3% |
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has provided us with preliminary (qualitative) results of the biomonitoring they've been doing - so far the results are favorable, that is, they are not seeing an adverse impact. The bioassessments they've conducted look predominantly at macroinvertebrates (mostly insects) in the shore line. They sampled prior to any Medfly aerial treatments, and again after the fourth treatment. They will also sample after the conclusion of the program. They have sampled Dinner Lake, Little Red Water, Little Bonnet, Denton Lake, and Lake Sebring. Again - these results are preliminary, with quantitative analysis pending.
Health Monitoring: Department of Health (DOH) has received 12 health related calls since the program began. Of these, 1 is classified as "not a case", 6 as "unlikely" cases, 4 as "possible" cases, and 1 "probable" case. These are tentative classifications, and could change with additional information. Please refer to the 08-13-98 update for a brief discussion of the case classification system.
FDACS - Division of Plant Industy:
Mediterranean fruit fly information
USDA APHIS: Mediterranean fruit fly information
UF/IFAS Fact Sheet ENY-809:
The Mediterranean Fruit Fly
UF/IFAS Fact Sheet ENY-626:
Mediterranean Fruit Fly: What Floridians Need To Know