Infographic Template Galleries

Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 Mexican Fruit Fly AKA : Anastrepha Ludeens The Mexican fruit fly is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,Mexico and Nicaragua. The pest has established itself in the Rio Grande Valley of Southern Texas the preferred habitat for the mexican fruit fly is warm and somewhere with a lot of fruit. The adult Mexican fruit fly is larger than a housefly, about 1.0 cm (0.38 inch) long. The body color is a pale orange-yellow with two to three whitish stripes along the thorax. The wings are clear except for several yellow and brown stripes. The female is distinguished by a long and slender ovipositor which is used to deposit eggs beneath the skin of the host fruit. The maggots (larvae) are legless, and range in color from white to yellowish-white, and grow to a length of 1.0 cm within the host fruit. A Mexican fruit fly infestation is not readily controlled on a small scale, such as by homeowners. Egg and larval stages inside the fruit are safe from insecticidal treatments. The adult stage is susceptible to control, usually by a short-lived bait comprised of a contact insecticide mixed with protein and carbohydrate. This is applied as fine droplets to host plant foliage where adults feed. However, adults are highly mobile and move easily from any nearby untreated trees back to treated trees after a few days. On a larger commercial scale, such as a citrus grove, host trees may be treated with bait spray as described above, and immigration of new adults can be minimized by removal of other host plants in a surrounding buffer area. Area-wide control is also possible using mass release of laboratory-reared and sterilized males to compete with wild fertile males and reduce the number of fertilized eggs laid. Fruit that has been attacked may be unfit to eat. Larvae feed while tunneling through the interior of infested fruits. Microscopic organisms invade these injured areas causing internal decay of the fleshy portions of the fruit. Over 50 host plants have been recorded as being attacked by the Mexican fruit fly. The Mexican fruit fly is an important agricultural pest in Mexico and parts of Central America where it readily attacks citrus, mango, avocado and a wide variety of other fruits. A large number of commercially grown crops in California would be threatened by the introduction of this pest, including peach, avocado, orange, grapefruit and pear. Mexican fruit fly adults have been trapped a number of times in California and several infestations have been eradicated from the state.
Create Your Free Infographic!