§ 301.99-10 - Treatments.

Treatment schedules listed in part 305 of this chapter to destroy the sapote fruit fly are authorized for use on regulated articles. The following treatments also may be used for the regulated articles indicated:

(a) Soil within the dripline of plants that are producing or have produced the fruits and vegetables listed in § 301.99-2(a) of this subpart. Apply diazinon at the rate of 5 pounds active ingredient per acre to the soil within the dripline with sufficient water to wet the soil to at least a depth of 1/2 inch.

(b) Citrus fruits. Regulated citrus fruits originating inside the quarantined area that are to be moved outside the quarantined area may be treated with methyl bromide fumigation in APHIS-approved chambers. Exposure period for this treatment is 2 hours.9 Fruit pulp temperature must be between 21.1 °C and 29.4 °C (70 °F and 85 °F). This temperature requirement refers to fruit pulp only and not to air temperature within the chamber. Fruit taken from a cooling room may have to be pre-warmed before fumigation is attempted. To determine fruit pulp temperature, stab several fruit to the center with a suitable thermometer that reads at least in whole degrees (F or C). The lowest temperature should be used, not the average. The methyl bromide dosage is set at a rate of 2.5 pounds of 100 percent pure, type “Q” (for quarantine use only) methyl bromide per 1,000 cubic feet of chamber space.10 However, if, prior to treatment, representative sampling reveals a level of infestation greater than 0.5 percent for the lot, then the fruit is ineligible for treatment.

(c) Premises. Fields, groves, or areas that are located within a quarantined area but outside the infested core area and that produce regulated articles may receive regular treatments with either malathion or spinosad bait spray as an alternative to treating the regulated articles with methyl bromide fumigation or those treatments provided in part 305 of this chapter. These treatments must take place at 6-to 10-day intervals, starting a sufficient time before harvest (but not less than 30 days before harvest) to allow for development of sapote fruit fly egg and larvae. Determination of the time period must be based on the day degrees model for sapote fruit fly. Once treatment has begun, it must continue through the harvest period. The malathion bait spray treatment must be applied by aircraft or ground equipment at a rate of 2.4 oz of technical grade malathion and 9.6 oz of protein hydrolysate per acre. The spinosad bait spray treatment must be applied by aircraft or ground equipment at a rate of 0.01 oz of a USDA-approved spinosad formulation and 48 oz of protein hydrolysate per acre. For ground applications, the mixture may be diluted with water to improve coverage.