Project Number: 6631-22000-004-09
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 30, 2005
End Date: Sep 29, 2010

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to develop improved fruit fly trapping and control systems and integrated pest management programs for control of exotic fruit flies that threaten U.S. agriculture. Populations of fruit flies that are not found in the continental US, but that are of quarantine concern for US agriculture, are endemic in Honduras. These include Mediterranean fruit flies, Mexican fruit flies, West Indian fruit flies and guava fruit flies. The research objective is to determine effective sampling area of traps and lures developed by the scientists at SHRS and to assess antennal sensitivity to food-based lures.

Approach:
The cooperator at the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research (FHIA) has been involved in collaborative research with ARS in an IAEA-funded research project. This research will be expanded to include research on determining the effective sampling area for traps baited with the food-based synthetic attractant developed by ARS, critical information that is needed by State and Federal action agencies in the US for use in detection and delimitation of fruit flies. The cooperator will locate properties and appropriate sites for the studies, obtain wild flies from infested host material, will conduct mark and recapture studies to address this research following a protocol that will be developed jointly by ARS and FHIA. ARS will provide equipment, training and protocols to FHIA personnel for the antennal sensitivity studies.