ABSTRACT
Fruit flies are key pests of fruits and vegetables (mainly cucurbits) in Mauritius. An area-wide fruit fly control program targeting the melon fly and the oriental fruit fly was implemented in the North and North-West of Mauritius. The bait application and the male annihilation techniques, coupled with the release of sterile flies in selected localities, were used to suppress the fruit fly population. Pheromone-baited traps were placed for adult surveillance, and fruit/vegetable collections were carried out on a regular basis for larval surveillance in treated and nontreated regions. The population of Bactrocera dorsalis was above 15.0 flies/trap/day with an infestation index varying from 18.0 to 40.0 flies/kg in nontreated regions. Conversely, the fly per trap per day recorded in treated regions was below 1.0, and the infestation index was less than 0.5 flies/kg. Infestation in cucurbits was more pronounced in nontreated regions reaching a population of 20.0 flies/trap/day and assuming greater than 50.0 Zeugodacus cucurbitae flies/kg in highly susceptible cucurbitaceous crops. In comparison, most treated cucurbit fields had less than 1.0 flies/trap/day with an infestation index nearing 0.1 flies/kg. We concluded that the control measures being applied are effective and need to be implemented on a larger scale.
