Protecting Hawaiian Small Farm Production from Bactrocera Fruit Flies

Due to the mild year-round climate in the Hawaiian Islands, which allows for continuous cropping small-scale growers in this state have the potential to produce an abundance of premium-value fruits and vegetables. Due to the insidious, unrelenting pressure of fruit fly pests, particularly from three key invasive species; Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, these growers cannot achieve their production potential. As a result, the state of Hawaii currently ranks 42nd for total agricultural sales within the US. These products will greatly improve upon current fruit fly management technologies in terms of control efficacy, field longevity, environmental safety, and impact on produce quality and profitability. Many of the current small-scale farming operations are fledging agricultural enterprises with very few prospects for a better future, and new generations are beginning to seek more profitable alternatives to farming. More effective control of these exotic fruit fly pests could reinvigorate fruit and vegetable production in Hawaii.ISCA Technologies aims to develop a novel product line for control for tephritid fruit fly pests, comprised of four different formulations: two semiochemical attract and kill formulations combining natural fruit fly attractants with a reduced risk insecticide, Hook ME&CL and Hook ME&CL+TML; and two attractant blends of these semiochemicals without insecticide, SPLAT® ME&CL and SPLAT® ME&CL+TML, to be used for effective monitoring or mass trapping.