Millions of sterilised fruit flies are being dumped over California Bay Area. Here's why

California has waged a war against the Mediterranean fruit flies that are being dumped over the San Francisco Bay Area. The California Department of Food and Agriculture said in a press release that it is running an eradication campaign in the Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

As bizarre as it may sound, authorities are sterilising the male fruit flies who will then be transported in an airplane and released over the Bay Area. The intention is to disrupt the reproduction cycle. The sterilised male fruit flies will mate with wild female flies, but the mating cycle wouldn't unfold as expected.

The CDFA release explained that the process will lead to the birth of fruit flies that aren't viable. It added that the process is a " safe and environmentally friendly" method of extermination due to the absence of chemicals. The release added that millions of fruit flies are being released every week.

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A map shows Union City, Fremont and Newark under quarantine, effectively meaning that no one can move produce within and outside these designated areas. As part of the eradication efforts, personnel are also placing traps on trees and removing infested fruit. People in the areas have been asked to stop composting their produce and get rid of fruit on the ground.

Mediterranean fruit flies are tiny, but their larvae can damage over 250 types of produce, affecting agriculture in California. According to SFGATE, the CDFA predicts that the creatures can cause a loss of up to $1.8 billion annually. 

Officials state that fly infestations have become common throughout Southern and Northern California. They suspect travellers carry them to the US when they bring in produce from another country. 

The extermination method was used in Los Angeles County in 2023 after two of the insects were found at a house in Leimert Park.