Carambola Fruit Fly Situation In Latin America And The Caribbean

The carambola fruit fly, Bactrocera carambolae Drew and Hancock (CFF) is a member of the oriental fruit fly species complex. CFF was recognized to be present in Suriname in 1986, but it appears to have been present since at least 1975. CFF originated in Asia, where it occurs in Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand. Fifteen percent of Suriname's human population originated in Indonesia. Probably the CFF was introduced into the Western Hemisphere by persons traveling from Indonesia to Suriname. The spread of the CFF infestation and infested host plants were delimited soon after 1986. By 1990, the fly had spread throughout the northern (inhabited) part of Suriname and eastward into French Guiana. Subsequently the CFF spread westward to infest two border villages in Guyana, and, east of French Guiana, into the Brazilian State of Amapa. CFF's major hosts are carambola (Oxalidaceae: Averrhoa carambola L.) and curaçao apple (Myrtaceae: Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. and Perry), which originated in Asia. Most tropical fruits are good hosts of CFF. In 1990 the first control actions were undertaken to prevent the fly from spreading westwards, and in 1997 a regional eradication program was initiated. The male annihilation technique (MAT) served as the main method for eliminating CFF populations. This technique involved the area-wide placement of 5 cm χ 5 cm χ 1 cm wood fiber blocks impregnated with methyl-eugenol mixed with malathion to lure and annihilate CFF males. Additional methods used were bait sprays, soil treatments, host fruit destruction, and pruning of host fruits. In urban areas the MAT technique was applied by spraying min-u-gel containing methyl eugenol and malathion onto tree trunks, electric-line poles etc. After good progress in freeing areas of CFF, the project closed in 2003 due to lack of funding, and by 2007 the CFF had reclaimed all cleared areas that had been infested at the initiation of the control project. In addition, the CFF has spread to new areas in Guyana. In the Brazilian State of Amapa, containment activities will continue relentlessly, due to the threat the pest represents to the Brazilian fruit industry. For Suriname, control of fruit flies in the future will have to include suppression of the CFF as one of the major economically important tropical fruit fly species. Alternative methods will be evaluated including biological control and localized application of bait sprays in fruit production areas. The establishment and expanding distribution of the CFF in the Guyana's represents a continuous threat to the fruit production in the Caribbean and the Latin American region.