Fruit fly pests of citrus and their olfactory-based control

Increased global trade of fresh agricultural fruits and the effects of global warming have significantly raised the threat of tropical insect pests as more species are introduced and become established in new areas.
In citrus cultivation, fruit fly pests can cause total destruction to fruits due to the frugivorous nature and aggressive feeding of their larval stage.
Additionally, the introduction of microbial secondary infections through fruit fly oviposition exacerbates fruit damage leading to rejection of fruit exports and domestic consumption.
Some of the world’s most destructive fruit pests include the highly polyphagous Medfly, Ceratitis capitata and the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis that can cause total destruction of cultivated citrus fruits in the absence of proper pest management.
Coupled with a high adaptability, dispersive and polyphagous nature with high reproduction rate, the control of those pests can be very challenging.
Of late, the detection of Oriental fruit fly in fruit-growing regions of southern Europe and California has prompted rapid eradication of those pests.
In addition, with rapid emergence of other new fruit fly pests, this has put a strain on existing enforcement of biosecurity and plant quarantine restrictions.
In the field, while various types of control measures ranging from insecticidal, cultural, mechanical and biological control have been evaluated and employed against those pests, an understanding of their olfaction remains key to their effective control.
In this paper, an overview of the types of fruit fly species that are known to attack citrus fruits is presented along with the current types of semiochemicals that are used against them.

XV International Citrus Congress

A.K.W. Hee

Tephritidae, Oriental fruit fly, Medfly, biosecurity, IPM, pheromones, attractants

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1448.79