ABSTRACT
The international fruit fly community is unique because of the closeness of basic and applied researchers, as well as action program and industry representatives. An official request to organize the Fifth Symposium in 1998 has already been received and other interested parties are requested to submit alternative proposals. These will be evaluated during the meeting by the Steering Committee, so that a location for the Fifth Symposium in 1998 can be announced at the end of this Symposium. The desire expressed at our First International Symposium held in Athens in 1982, for the establishment of a quadrennial fruit fly symposium for the international fruit fly worker community has succeeded beyond expectations. The demand for fresh fruit is growing worldwide, with increasing populations in developing countries and changing dietary patterns in developed countries.
