Biological control and better surveillance of fruit flies in the Indian Ocean
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Fruit and vegetable producers in the Indian Ocean are threatened by nine species of fruit flies. One of them (Bactrocera invadens), present in Africa (detected in Kenya for the first time in 2003), Comoros and Mayotte, has not yet been introduced to the other islands. Monitoring is improving thanks to the plant protection system (ePRPV), while biological control methods are being established through the use of parasitoids. These micro-wasps regulate the flies in their area of origin: one is called Psyttalia fletcheri and is used against vegetable flies, and another, Fopius arisanus, against fruit flies, especially against the species Bactrocera invadens.
These biological controls are a part of the agro-ecological management of pests.