Preliminary results from an ADRESS® survey conducted in Terceira Island(Azores) as a control method of C. capitata adults

Abstract: The medfly or Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) (Diptera:Tephritidae), is a very dynamic organism due to its enormous potential for adaptability to awide range of potential hosts, which makes it a real and serious threat to all commercialfruits. The INTERFRUTA and INTERFRUTA II projects (EC Interreg III-B) contributedsignificantly to finding solutions to control the several phytosanitary problems that affectfruit producers. Medfly was one of them, a subject for several surveys, always searching forbetter knowledge and understanding of its population dynamics and at the same time forevaluating fruit damage. Therefore, several traps and baits were tested to determine the mostsuitable “package” (trap and bait) for monitoring adult males and females. In an attempt todevelop alternative control strategies against this insect an experiment using ADRESS® baitstations was implemented in a 40ha area of apples, citrus, plums, araza, ficus and vineyardswhere 960 stations were distributed. This experiment will last for 3 years, although, in thefirst year it is possible to see a decline in C. capitata adult populations and a significantdecrease in fruit damage. In this first phase of the experiment (6 months afterimplementation) the treated and untreated orchards were monitored and a survey was doneon the infestation rate on the fruits to analyze the efficacy of this new bait station.