ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, a pest of great economical importance in the world, was first reported in the Western Hemisphere in 1904 in Brazil. Knowledge of the seasonal infestation and the distribution of the fruit fly populations allowed us to schedule fruit sampling activities, increasing the possibility of detecting wild individuals. Laboratory and field tests using different malathion concentrations in the bait resulted in reducing the amount of insecticide. The most important contribution of the Mexican government to create a large scale program to science was the eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly from Mexico in 1982 and to keep the country free of this pest since then through the maintenance of an effective sterile fly barrier. Institution efforts are dealing with the development of practical and accessible technology for developing countries. This technology includes the development of the Sterile Insect Technique for Anastrepha species, the use of recycled diet, and use of parasitoids to suppress populations.
