Recap of November 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector
This month we talked all about fruit flies! We focused on true fruit flies in the family Tephritidae. Florida has quite the history with non-native fruit flies. We have a few that have established and caused issues for fruit production in the state. We also regularly monitor for new introductions of species that are not established in the state. In the case of fruit flies, we devote a lot of resources towards early detection and prevention, because of the heavy impact these species could potential have on major industries.
Female fruit flies lay eggs in fresh fruit. The eggs will hatch and then larvae will feed inside the fruit. For most people, they do not want to bite into fruit and seeing a maggot crawling around. It is hard to sell fruit filled with fly larvae. Additionally, the larvae can cause the drop to fall off the tree early or even if it is harvest in time, it can rot before it reaches the store. This is a big concern for Florida’s agriculture as these flies can feed on citrus, as well as many other tropical and subtropical fruits and vegetables.
Several government agencies, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the United States Department of Agriculture, focus on fruit fly monitoring and prevention in Florida. There are traps placed all around the state that are regularly inspected for high-risk species. If even a single fly of concern is found in a trap, a rapid response will be enacted. They will work quickly to determine if there are other flies through a delimiting survey. From there, they will work to quarantine and eradication the pest. Another preventative measure that is practiced in Florida is the frequent release of sterile male flies using sterile insect technique (SIT) to help combat new introductions.
If you work with fruit crops, or simply have a fruit tree in your yard, if you see unusually high numbers of fruit flies or a fruit fly that you don’t recognize, submit a sample!
Resources on Invasive Fruit Flies
- Ask IFAS, Tephritidae topics
- FDACS Website on Non-Native Fruit Flies
- FDACS Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol
- USDA Resources on Invasive Fruit Flies
Want to watch the recording?
What is the upcoming schedule?
We are meeting online via Zoom from 12:00PM-1:00PM on the First Friday of every month from Sept 2022-Aug 2025. Maybe longer too! Please visit this blog for registration information and the upcoming schedule for Sept. 2024-2025.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Morgan Pinkerton, morgan0402@ufl.edu
Or
Visit the Florida First Detector Website
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