Phytoparasitica (2003) 31 (3) - Biological control of the ...

Yael Argov and Y. Gazit (2003)
Biological control of the Mediterranean fruit fly in Israel: importation and establishment of natural enemies
Phytoparasitica 31 (3)
Abstracts 20th Conference of the Entomological Society of Israel, Feb. 11-12, 2003
Abstract: Our aim is to use biological control to complement the chemical control (mostly by malathion sprays) and sterile insect technique (SIT) of the Mediterranean fruit fly, as part of a worldwide tendency to reduce the use of chemical pesticides (especially organophosphates). Although commercial crops are usually treated, major sources for the pests are unsprayed areas (e.g. private gardens and neglected orchards), where it is forbidden to spray, and where there is no other way to reduce the medfly population. Our basic assumption is that it would be possible to use biological control in these areas in order to reduce the medfly population and thereby hinder it from infesting any nearby agricultural crops. This will also reduce, or eliminate, the insecticidal treatments. From late 2001 on, The Israel Cohen Institute for Biological Control has introduced three species of parasitoid wasps against the pest: Fopius arisanus and Psyttalia concolor from Hawaii and Fopius ceratitivorus from Guatemala. We are developing and improving rearing methods in order to mass-culture the parasitoids and study their biology. F. arisanus and F. ceratitivorus are egg-pupa parasitoids and P. concolor is a larva-pupa parasitoid. We have begun to release them and will test their recovery and establishment.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Yael Argov, Yoav Gazit

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
classical biocontrol/new introduction
rearing/culturing/mass production

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Ceratitis capitata		Israel
Fopius arisanus (parasitoid)	Ceratitis capitata		Israel
Psyttalia concolor (parasitoid)	Ceratitis capitata		Israel
Fopius ceratitivorus (parasitoid)	Ceratitis capitata		Israel
Fopius ceratitivorus (parasitoid)	Ceratitis capitata		Guatemala