The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is considered one of the most important pests worldwide because of its direct damage to fruit and vegetable production, and restrictions imposed to commercialization of horticultural commodities by countries free of the pest. It was introduced to Brazil in 1901 and to Costa Rica in 1955, from where it spread across the Central American region, reaching Guatemala and Mexico in 1976 and 1977, respectively. In response, the governments of Guatemala, Mexico, and the USA joined efforts to (1) contain further northward spread of the pest, (2) eradicate it from the areas it had invaded in southern Mexico, and (3) in the longer term eradicate it from Guatemala and eventually from the rest of Central America. To this effect, cooperative agreements were subscribed between the three countries and also between the USA and Belize. This allowed regional cooperation against the Mediterranean fruit fly and the creation of the Moscamed Programme. The programme was the first area‐wide large‐scale application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) against this pest. By 1982, the Programme had achieved its first two objectives with the containment of the northward advance of the pest, and its eradication from the areas it had invaded in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Furthermore, by 1985 the Mediterranean fruit fly had been eradicated from areas in Guatemala located at the border with Mexico. Since then, the programme has had years with significant territorial advances in the eradication of the pest from areas within Guatemala, combined with years when it had setbacks resulting in losses of the territorial gains. Nevertheless, during 4 decades, the programme has effectively served as an effective containment barrier maintaining the Mediterranean fruit fly‐free status of Belize, Mexico, and the USA. It has also protected and increased the Mediterranean fruit fly‐free areas in Guatemala. As a result, it has protected the assets of horticultural producers and contributed during this period to the development of multibillion dollar export industries in these countries. This paper provides an historical review of the programme and describes briefly how technological innovations and decision‐making tools have contributed to programme efficiency. It also discusses how non‐technical and external factors have limited the eradication process and further programme advance within the Central American region.
The mode of transmission of fungus spores (horizontal transmission or assisted auto-dissemination) directly in uences the effectiveness of a fungal pathogen when used as a control agent. Fungal infections cause physiological alterations leading to the host's death. During this process, the fungus uses the energy reserves in the hemolymph of insects, affecting the development and performance of individuals and, therefore, the demographic features of their populations.In this work, we evaluated topical inoculation and an auto-disseminator device in the transmission of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin conidia to Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae). Survival and fecundity were negatively affected by the action of the fungus, and mortality was in uenced by the inoculation method. Inoculated sterile males were as competitive as untreated males and reduced the fecundity and survival of females. We conclude that the pathogenic action of B. bassiana reduces the survival and fecundity parameters of C. capitata infected by horizontal transmission, while the behavioral response of treated sterile males is similar to that of sterile-fertile untreated males. We discuss the potential use of this strategy as part of the pest management of C. capitata.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.