Control And Eradication Of The Mediterranean Fly Outbreak,

Ceratitis capitata wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae),

Through The Use Of The Sterile Insect Technique In Conjunction With Various Control
Activities In The Commune Of Villa Alemana, Chile.
Andrés Durán M.; Yévenes F., J.; Machuca L., J. and Ruiz P., S.

Subdepartment of Fruit Flies, Department of Plant Health, Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG)
Agriculture Ministry

In March 2020, the presence of 4 adult C. capitata was detected in the urban area of the commune of Villa Alemana, Provincia de
Marga - Marga, Región de Valparaíso, Chile. (Latitude: -33.0422° S, Longitude: -71.3733° W). In response to these detections, on
April 1, 2020, SAG established quarantine regulations for the control and eradication of mediterranean fruit fly within a radius of 7.2
kilometers around the detections.
As part of the control and eradication measures in response to the outbreak, the SAG established as a main strategy, the release
of sterile males of C. capitata Vienna8-Toliman, at a control density of 2,500 flying males per hectare. The release was done by land
with paper bags in different release points. In the selection of the site, different geographical parameters were determined such as
wind direction, hydrography of the site and fruit species present in the area.
Simultaneously, various complementary control actions were carried out: Cleaning of plant debris, unloading and sampling of host
fruits, application of insecticide to the soil (Diazinon) in the sites with detection and installation of boards with toxic food bait (GF-
120) in the area. adjacent to the release points.

Location of the commune of Villa Alemana Quarantine Area Adult and Larvae Detection
Location
Adult Emergent
INFESTED FRUIT
355
Conditions
SPECIES
Peach tree
(Prunus persica)
Quince tree
(Cydonia oblonga)
-59% 15°-19° C
70–90% H Hectares
Total Release Area
4181 units
5952 units
sampled
sampled Operational Costs
647
,
(7 infested units)
(10 infested units) Compared to 2018
0m

Apple tree
Other species
50

(Malus

+44,8%
MILLIONS
domestica) 35,969 units
Packed Pupae
sampled
7385 units
(0 infested units)

391
,
sampled
(4 infested units)
Area Covered Compared
53.487 to 2018 Release within MILLIONS
Units Sampled 500 m buffer
Flying Males
Released

Fruit harvesting activities within the quarantine area. Installation of paper bags with sterile cores of C. capitata W. Fruit Fly Trap Check in the Laboratory

EXAMPLES OF C. capitata WILD IN VILLA ALEMANA COMMUNNE OUTBREAKS NUMBER OF STERILE MALE RELEASE POINTS PER WEEK

The timely and effective detection carried out by SAG in the Villa Alemana commune, allowed to execute a
Contact information
pertinent and effective control and eradication plan, avoiding the spread of the plague.
Andrés Durán
andres.duran@sag.gob.cl
Likewise, the immediate release of an adequate density of sterile males (2,500 flying males/hectare),
Jocelyn Elena Yevenes Flores
jocelyn.yevenes@sag.gob.cl complemented with other control and surveillance activities, prevented the establishment of the pest in the area.
Juan Roberto Machuca Lagos
juan.machuca@sag.gob.cl Compared with the eradication of an outbreak in 2018 in the same urban area, the use of the TIE in 2020 turned
Sergio Andrés Ruiz Paillalef
sergio.ruiz@sag.gob.cl
out to be an efficient and effective strategy, allowing control of the pest, significantly reducing the use of chemical
https://www.sag.cl control inputs. (354,601 liters in 32.561 m², versus 42,061 liters in 3.831 m² in 2020) and operational costs.
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