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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #317078
Title: An overview of tropical pest species of bactrocera fruit flies (Diptera:Tephritidae) and the integration of biopesticides with other biological approaches for their management

Author
item Vargas, Roger
item PINERO, JAIME - Lincoln University Of Missouri
item LEBLANC, LUC - University Of Hawaii

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2015
Publication Date: 4/3/2015
Citation: Vargas, R.I., Pinero, J.C., Leblanc, L. 2015. An overview of tropical pest species of bactrocera fruit flies (Diptera:Tephritidae) and the integration of biopesticides with other biological approaches for their management. Insects. 6:298-318.

Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies of the family Tephritidae constitute a group of agricultural pests of worldwide importance that attack a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Numerous fruit fly species constitute enormous threats to fruit and vegetable production throughout the world, causing both quantitative and qualitative losses. Furthermore, due to their susceptibility to invasive tephritid species, many fruit-producing countries have imposed quarantine restrictions on the import of products from countries infested with particular fruit fly species, and/or require that fruits and vegetables undergo quarantine treatment before their importation is allowed. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is one method to achieve sustainable agricultural production with less damage to the environment. While IPM of fruit flies has made many unique contributions to agriculture through the incorporation of ecological principles into pest management, IPM of fruit flies, including Bactrocera make up only a small proportion of the overall Tephritidae literature. In this article we present an overview of the tropical pest species in the genus Bactrocera, examine recent developments of reduced risk technologies for control and explore IPM programs that utilize multiple components to manage these pests in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Although true IPM programs are currently scarce for pest tephritid flies, new biopesticides and reduced risk compounds will allow for development and expansion of new IPM systems without many of the side effects of conventional synthetic insecticides.

Technical Abstract: Fruit flies (Diptera:Tephritidae) are among the most economically important pest species in the world, attacking a wide range of fruits and fleshy vegetables throughout tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. These species are such devastating crop pests that major control and eradication programs have been developed in various parts of the world to combat them. The array of control methods includes insecticide sprays to foliage and soil, bait-sprays, male annihilation techniques, releases of sterilized flies and parasitoids, and cultural controls. During the twenty first century there has been a trend to move away from control with organophosphate insecticides (e.g. malathion, diazinon, and naled) and towards reduced risk insecticide treatments. In this article, we present an overview of 73 pest species in the genus Bactrocera, examine recent developments of reduced risk technologies for their control and explore Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programs that integrate multiple components to manage these pests in tropical and sub-tropical areas.