Adapting to New Control Strategies and Area-Wide Management for Cherry Fruit Flies in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract: The western and black cherry fruit flies (CFF), Rhagoletis indifferens and R. fausta, are serious risks to production of sweet cherries Prunus avium in British Columbia and Canada, particularly to late-season or high-value export crops with zero tolerance for pest infestation. The availability of new reduced risk chemicals and of “soft” formulations, such as GF-120® NF Naturalyte® Fruit Fly Bait, has led to adaptations and changes in several aspects of crop protection. At the same time, there is interest in the development of an area-wide program using “soft” techniques. Information is being gathered from commercial and organic orchards, private gardens, and abandoned sites within the mixed urban-rural landscapes that are common in Canada. We present some recent results from experiments and experiences of fruit-growers. These include the compatibility of reduced risk pesticides with the key predatory mites of fruit-growing in western and eastern Canada, of the use of GF120 Fruit Fly Bait, the importance of alternate host plants, and new knowledge of CFF flight and movement.