Eradication of the Oriental Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) from the Okinawa Islands by a Male Annihilation Method

Abstract

In 1982 the oriental fruit fly, Dacus (Bactrocera) dorsalis Hendel, was successfully eradicated from the Okinawa Islands, Japan, by a male annihilation method using wood fiberboard squares in which methyl eugenol and naled were incorporated. To achieve successful eradication, a sufficient dose of lure-toxicant was necessary. Until the number of male flies caught in monitor traps was reduced by ca. 1/100 of that before control, no detectable reduction of infestation level of host fruits was found. Because eradication was achieved, quarantine regulation and preventive control should be implemented to prevent infiltration and reestablishment of the fly from adjacent, infested islands.