The Region - News from Sept. 11, 1987

Medfly experts recommended another aerial spraying with the pesticide malathion if a second female Medfly or larvae are found in Southwest Los Angeles, officials said. Dr. Roy Cunningham, chairman of an advisory panel for Medfly eradication, expressed concern over the discovery of a female Medfly in a trap near Jefferson Boulevard and La Brea Avenue near Culver City. About 1,700 traps are being deployed and field workers are checking fruit in the area. “We generally expect we won’t be lucky and have this as just a single-fly find,” Cunningham said. “We’re hoping for the best.” The new area is about eight miles west of previous infestations east and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, which recently resulted in two aerial sprayings. If another spraying with a sticky-sweet, malathion-laced bait is ordered, it is expected to cover at least nine square miles.