Selena Felix Mrs.

Ogo Period 1 December 2, 2013 The Mexican Fruit Fly The Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), was first found along the California-Mexico border in the early 1950s. The Mexican fruit fly is a pest of many different fruits but mainly for citrus and mango, in Mexico and Central America. Its natural distribution includes the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and frequently invades southern california. In 2012 it was announced by the USDA-APHIS that the Mexican fruit fly was eradicated from the last county in Texas in which it had been present. Its current range in the U.S. is California and Texas. The Mexican fruit fly is considered to be a very big issue because the fruit that has been attacked by it is unfit to eat. The fruit flies larvae feed while tunneling through the interior of infested fruits. Microscopic organisms then invade these injured areas causing internal decay of the fleshy portions of the fruit. As the fruit becomes infested and decays it falls to the ground, thereby destroying the crop. The recommended method to control the Mexican fruit fly from destroying fruit crops is to use spot spray with a poisonous bait that consist of a proteinuria and insecticide. The spray will prevent the fruit flies from destroying crops. Spending the money to protect crops will have a better outcome, moneywise, then not using the spray and having the crops destroyed and most of the second crops being destroyed also. Yield per acre when the fruit fly is controlled with a spot spray program would be 600 boxes at each $3.00 per box and in total the cost would be $1,800. There are also two other methods of controlling the Mexican fruit fly and those are the sterile insect technique (SIT) and/or directed insecticide applications. The cost of the impact of the Mexican fruit fly on our economy is tremendous. When no kind of control program is implemented, losses in grapefruit can be from 50% to 100%. Quite commonly, most of the second crop is lost to fruit fly damage also which leads to the drop in fruit. There are things we can do to stop the fruit fly from spreading around and having the unfit fruit in our houses. The first is to not bring or mail fresh fruits, vegetables, or plants into the U.S. or your state unless agricultural inspectors have cleared them beforehand. Second, never remove fresh produce from your property when your area is under Mexican fruit fly quarantine. Third and final, cooperate with any quarantine restrictions or rules that might be imposed because of a Mexican fruit fly find in your area, and allow authorized agricultural workers access to your property to inspect fruit and Mexican fruit fly traps for signs of an infestation. Bibliography http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/fruit/tropical/mexican_fruit_fly.htm

http://www.hungrypests.com/the-threat/mexican-fruit-fly.php http://www.hungrypests.com/faqs/mexican-fruit-fly.php http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/mexfly.shtml