Florida, California, step up pest curbs; new fly found

Agriculture officials in Florida and California stepped up pesticide spraying in their Mediterranean fruit fly eradication programs because of more discoveries of the crop-killing pest. California officials were concerned that the pest might be moving toward the prime agricultural region of the San Joaquin Valley, near which a fruit fly was found.

And in Los Angeles County, officials announced a new crop threat -- Oriental fruit flies. Agriculture officials said they expected swift control of the pest through pesticides, but added that the Oriental fly's threat to California agriculture was second only to the Medfly infestation.