Western Cherry Fruit Fly: Fumigation with Methyl Bromide in Harvested Sweet Cherries12

Abstract

Fumigation of harvested sweet cherries with methyl bromide at a rate of 32 g/m3 for 2 h at a fruit pulp temperature of 23°C resulted in complete kill of larvae of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran. This is the same treatment recommended for the control of the codling moth, Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), on cherries. The combination of effective control in the field, strict enforcement of existing phytosanitary regulations, and fumigation with methyl bromide prior to shipment should provide a high level of confidence that no live cherry fruit flies will be included in any shipment of cherries from the United States to Japan or other foreign markets.