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Smelly, invasive ‘stinknet’ plant closes part of Arizona national monument

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Take an invasive plant, already a threat to ecosystems, and add insult to injury: Stinknet, which smells as pleasant as it sounds, has forced the temporary closure of a picnic area at Arizona’s Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

The plant, also known as globe chamomile, smells like turpentine when it is crushed, and it can cause respiratory or allergic reactions, according to the University of Arizona.

The plant’s presence by the picnic area in Casa Grande Ruins National Monument means part of the monument will be closed until a solution is found, the monument staff announced Wednesday.

The invasive plant, which has already taken root in the Phoenix area, was first found and collected in the state in 1997, according to the university.

The plant then spread south along the Interstate 10 corridor and into Pinal County, which is where the national monument is.

“We also ask that visitors avoid walking near or stepping on this flowering weed in other areas of the park to avoid spreading it,” national monument staff said in a statement.

Invasive plants crowd out native plants and can damage ecosystems.

Stinknet, which is native to South Africa, poses a serious threat to the Sonoran Desert, Arizona State Parks and Trails says on its website. The state agency lists the plant in its top eight invasive weeds and grasses.

“This aggressive plant has rapidly spread across the desert landscape, displacing native vegetation and altering fragile ecosystems,” the agency said — let alone its unpleasant smell and rashes. It also becomes a wildfire hazard in summer.

Homeowners, if they see them, are encouraged to carefully and bag the weeds, preferably before they produce flowers that contain hundreds of seeds, Arizona State Parks and Trails says.

Stinknet is established now in parts of Southern California, Arizona and northern Mexico, and it was reported growing in southern Nevada in 2018, according to the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management System.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, near Coolidge, contains structures from the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People.

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Invasive fruit fly prompts first-ever quarantine of produce in LA neighborhood

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The discovery of an invasive fruit fly prompted a rare quarantine of produce of a neighborhood in Los Angeles County, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced last week.

This is “the first Tau fruit fly quarantine ever in the Western Hemisphere,” according to the CDFA.

More than 20 Tau fruit flies were found in Stevenson Ranch, an unincorporated area near the city of Santa Clarita. The Tau fruit fly is native to Asia and described by the CDFA as a “serious pest for agriculture and natural resources.”

Tau fruit flies are about the same size as a housefly. The adult females lay eggs in produce, and the larvae “tunnel through” and feed on it, deeming it unfit for consumption, according to the CDFA.

A quarantine was imposed that encompassed 79 square miles, from Castaic Junction to the north, Oat Mountain to the south, the Del Valle unincorporated community to the west and Honby Avenue to the east.

It’s believed the invasive species came to California via travelers who brought over un-inspected produce.

“To prevent the spread of this invasive species, residents living in the quarantine area are urged not to move any fruits and vegetables from their property,” the CDFA said. “They may be consumed or processed (i.e. juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) at the property where they were picked. Otherwise, they should be disposed-of by double-bagging in plastic and placing the bags in a bin specifically for garbage.”

The CDFA is working with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner to eliminate the species and prevent it from spreading to new areas by inspecting produce within 200 meters of the fruit fly detections and treating them with “a naturally derived organic-approved material known as Spinosad.”

“Finally, fly traps that incorporate a pheromone lure and a minute amount of pesticide will be used in a wider part of the treatment area,” the CDFA said.

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Invasive fruit fly infestation puts Los Angeles neighborhood under quarantine

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Dozens of miles of a Los Angeles County neighborhood are under quarantine after an invasive species was found flying through the area. It’s the first ever quarantine caused by the species, the Tau fruit fly, in the Western hemisphere, state officials said.

The lockdown covers 79 square miles of the Stevenson Ranch area near Santa Clarita. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, more than 20 Tau fruit flies were discovered in the area.

“The fly is native to Asia and is a serious pest for agriculture and natural resources, with a very wide host range, including numerous fruits and vegetables as well as a select range of native plants in California,” the department said in a press release. “It’s believed the fly was introduced by travelers bringing uninspected produce into the state — a common pathway for invasive species.”

A Los Angeles neighborhood has been placed under quarantine after the invasive adult Tau fruit fly was detected.

California Department of Food and Agriculture

Those living in the area have been urged not to transport fruits and vegetables from their property, as female flies will lay eggs under the skin of fruits – with more than 400 eggs at a time. The eggs will typically hatch in just a couple days, and within a week, larvae will tunnel through the fruit, eating as it goes and shedding its skin twice. Among the produce potentially impacted are melons, okras, peppers, papayas, citrus, cucumbers, pumpkins, avocados, tomatoes and gourds.

If no presence of the flies is detected on the produce, they can still be consumed or processed where they were picked. If not consumed, officials said they should be double bagged and placed in a garbage bin.

This map shows the quarantine boundary of a Los Angeles neighborhood after invasive Tau fruit flies were discovered.

California Department of Food and Agriculture

Adult Tau flies are tiny – roughly 7 millimeters in length – with yellow bodies and black markings. According to the state, they have clear wings with a dark stripe along their front that ends in a dark spot, and another stripe that’s about half as long and runs diagonal from the fly’s wing base. Tau fly eggs are white, about a millimeter long and about 4 millimeters wide.

While this is the first time the insects have caused a quarantine in California, it isn’t the first time they’ve been found in the state.

The state’s Department of Food and Agriculture says that they were discovered in San Bernardino County in 2016. Since then, they have been found and “successfully eradicated” three separate times.

Li Cohen

Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

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