Estimated Costs and Regional Economic Impacts of the Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) Outbreak in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Adult female oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), laying eggs by inserting her ovipositor in a papaya.

Oriental fruit flies, very destructive pests of fruits, were first detected in the Redland area of Miami-Dade County on August 26, 2015, and as of January 2016, 165 flies had been captured. This triggered an eradication program and establishment of a quarantine area composed of agricultural operations and nonagricultural properties, such as residential and commercial areas. As part of the effort to eradicate the fruit fly, growers and packers in the quarantine area are required to sign a compliance agreement that outlines the procedures necessary for harvesting, handling, and postharvest processing of agricultural products that may serve as hosts for any life cycle of the fruit fly. This 12-page fact sheet written by Sergio Alvarez, Edward A. Evans, and Alan W. Hodges and published by the UF Food and Resource Economics Department provides estimates of the direct and indirect losses to Florida’s agriculture and related sectors as a result of the outbreak and ensuing quarantine and eradication programs.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe988

West Indian Fruit Fly, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY198/IN355)

Figure 2.  Adult female West Indian fruit fly, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart).Anastrepha obliqua is a major pest of mangoes in most tropical countries, making the production of some varieties unprofitable. In the United States it is found in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, and was once found in Florida. It is intercepted frequently in mangoes and several other fruits from various countries. This 5-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr., J. B. Heppner, G. J. Steck, and T. R. Fasulo, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in355

South American Cucurbit Fruit Fly, Anastrepha grandis (Macquart) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY205/IN362)

Figure 2.  Adult male South American cucurbit fruit fly, Anastrepha grandis (Macquart).This rather large, yellow-brown, fruit fly with yellow and dark-brown markings exists in several South American countries, and attacks watermelon and other fruits of the family Cucurbitaceae. Once a pest of minor to moderate importance generally, it has become a rather important pest. The pest status differs in each country and has sometimes changed within a country . This species is potentially of economic importance in Florida and southern Texas should it ever be introduced there. It has been intercepted in the United States in pumpkin from Argentina and Brazil, and in banana debris from Panama.This 3-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr., and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in362

Mango Fruit Fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Walker) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY286/IN563)

Figure 1.  Adult female mango fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Walker).The mango fruit fly is also commonly known as the marula fruit fly, based on its common occurrence in these host plants. Marula is a native African fruit related to mango and sometimes known locally as wild plum. This fly is a serious pest in smallholder and commercial mango across sub-Saharan Africa, where it is more destructive than either the Mediterranean fruit fly or the Natal fruit fly. The fly’s impact is growing along with the more widespread commercialization of mango. It is one of the most commonly intercepted fruit flies in Europe. This 3-page fact sheet was written by G. J. Steck, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in563

Apple Maggot, Apple Maggot Fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY261/IN505)

Figure 2.  Adult apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), dorsal view. Photograph by: Joseph Berger; insectimages.orgThe apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), also known as the apple maggot fly and “railroad worm,” is native to North America. Originally, it fed in the fruit of wild hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), but then became a primary pest of cultivated apples, especially in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Summer- and early fall-maturing varieties are particularly vulnerable, but hard winter apples are sometimes infested. Thin skinned sweet and subacid varieties are most susceptible, but acid varieties may be attacked. This 4-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr. and T. R. Fasulo, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in505

A Fruit Fly, Anastrepha ocresia (Walker) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritide) (EENY202/IN359)

 Figure 1.  Adult female Anastrepha ocresia (Walker), a fruit fly.This small orange brown fly with patterned wings, banded abdomen, and a somewhat long ovipositor sheath is one of six species of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha that occur in Florida or which have been established in Florida at some time. There is a distinct possibility that this species has not survived in Florida. This 3-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr., and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in359

Fruit Fly, Anastrepha edentata Stone (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY264/IN543)

Figure 2.  Adult female Anastrepha edentata Stone, a fruit fly.Anastrepha edentata Stone has been collected in the Florida keys in every month of the year, but its host plants still are unknown. It is one of six species of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha, which occur in Florida or which have been established in Florida at some time. According to Division of Plant Industry records, it has not been found in Florida since 1936. There is a possibility that this species has not survived in Florida. It is not considered to be of economic importance anywhere within its range. This 2-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr., and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in543

Sapote Fruit Fly, Serpentine Fruit Fly, Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY206/IN363)

Figure 3.  Egg of the sapote fruit fly, Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann), compared with other common Anastrepha species.The sapote fruit fly, Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann), sometimes called the serpentine fruit fly, is intercepted frequently in United States ports of entry in various hosts from several countries. It is an important pest species in Mexico because its larvae infest sapote, sapodilla, willowleaf lucuma, and related fruits. This 3-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr., and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in363

Schoepfia Fruit Fly, Anastrepha interrupta Stone (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY267/IN548)

Figure 2.  Adult female schoepfia fruit fly, Anastrepha interrupta Stone.The schoepfia fruit fly is native to southern Florida. It is known only from coastal counties of south-central Florida to Key West, and only feeds on fruit of the flowering plant Schoepfia chrysophylloides. This 4-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr. and J. B. Heppner, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in548

Japanese Orange Fly, Bactrocera tsuneonis (Miyake) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY263/IN542)

Figure 1.  Adult female Japanese orange fly, Bactrocera tsuneonis (Miyake).This fruit fly is one of the most important pests of citrus in Japan. There have been no interceptions of the Japanese orange fly in the United States, probably due in a large part to the protection provided by a U.S. embargo of long standing against citrus from the orient. There have been some efforts recently to effect the removal of this embargo in order that citrus from Japan might be exported to the U.S. If this were to be done, the danger of introducing the Japanese orange fly into the U.S. would be greatly increased. This 2-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr. and T. R. Fasulo, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in542

Natal Fruit Fly, Natal Fly, Ceratitis rosa Karsch (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY257/IN538)

 Figure 1.  Adult female Natal fruit fly, Ceratitis rosa Karsch.The Natal fruit fly is a pest of orchard fruits throughout much of KwaZulu Natal Province, Republic of South Africa, and is considered to be the most common fruit fly of economic importance in Zimbabwe. 50 to 100 percent of plums were reportedly infested in a South African locality one year despite the application of control measures. Although it never has been captured as an escapee in the United States, it continues to constitute a potential threat to Florida agriculture. If it were accidentally introduced into Florida and allowed to gain a foothold, the Natal fruit fly could prove to be fully as serious a menace as the Mediterranean fruit fly. This 3-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr. and T. R. Fasulo, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in538

South American Fruit Fly, Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY266/IN545)

Figure 2.  Various wing forms.This species is of great economic importance because of the wide variety of plants that it attacks and its extensive distribution. In most of South America, it probably is the most important species of Anastrepha. This 6-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, Jr., and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in545

Oriental Fruit Fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) (EENY083/IN240)

Figure 1.  Adult female oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), laying eggs by inserting her ovipositor in a papaya.The oriental fruit fly is a very destructive pest of fruit in areas where it occurs. It is established in numerous areas in Asia, and is often intercepted in the United States, sometimes establishing infestations that were previously eradicated.This 6-page fact sheet was written by H. V. Weems, J. B. Heppner, J. L. Nation and T. R. Fasulo, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in240