Invader Fruit Fly) in the Northern Part of South Africa: Current Status
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MEDIA STATEMENT 25 March 2013 DETECTION OF BACTROCERA INVADENS (INVADER FRUIT FLY) IN THE NORTHERN PART OF SOUTH AFRICA: CURRENT STATUS This is an update on new detections of the Invader fruit fly, Bactrocera invadens , a quarantine pest for South Africa and a change in its official status in areas where it was previously detected. Since late January 2013, several new incursions have been detected. This occurred mainly after the recent floods in the northern and eastern areas of South Africa. Affected areas are from Zeerust along the Limpopo River up to Musina (town), the Tshipise and Nwanedi area, Witvlag, Levubu, Thohoyandou, Deerpark, Letsitele, Hoedspruit, Burgersfort, Mbombela, Malelane and Komatipoort. Previously, several isolated incursions of B. invadens were detected in the northern parts of the country in 2010 and 2011. All of these incursions were successfully eradicated. There were no further B. invadens specimens found in these areas for a period of 12 weeks or more. In 2012, however, there were new incursions of B. invadens in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. In most of these areas, the pest was eradicated. The areas eradicated include the following: Baltimore, Burgershall, Deerpark, Groblersbrug, Hoedspruit, Limburg, Levubu, Louis Trichardt (town), Musina (town), Pontdrift, Weipe and Tzaneen. The areas surrounding Tshidzini village, Beitbridge, Witvlag, Tshipise and Komatipoort are still under quarantine. This pest is currently present only in some areas of South Africa (Vhembe District in the Limpopo Province) and subject to official control that may include eradication or classification of such areas as areas of low pest prevalence. Eradication programmes may result in reversion to a pest-free status for areas where eradication is successful. B. invadens is considered to be absent in the rest of South Africa, which will be regarded as pest-free areas or pest-free places of production, according to the relevant technical information. This fruit fly is an invasive species with a wide range of hosts and it causes severe damage to its host plants. The hosts include commercial fruit types such as mango, citrus, guava, papaya and bananas, wild fruit such as marula and wild figs, as well as “vegetables” such as bell peppers, pumpkin and tomatoes. It has spread across Sub- Saharan Africa after being detected in Kenya in 2003 and currently occurs in many African countries, including the following in the south: Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi and Zambia, as well as the northern parts of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The department will be investing in further resources, such as agricultural chemicals (approximately R10 million) and preventative steps. The control of B. invadens is made possible through a combination of cultural and chemical control methods. All land users and landowners, including villagers and producers are required to apply good agricultural practices and are therefore urgently requested to ensure that all fruit that has dropped and has rotted or will not be used or sold is buried and covered with half a metre of soil. Alternatively, if it is not possible to bury discarded fruit, such fruit should be placed into a strong, undamaged refuse bag, which must be securely closed to prevent the pest from escaping. The bag should be placed in the sun. Chemical control is achieved through a combination of air/ground applied baitsprays and/or bait stations and ground applied male annihilation treatments (MAT). Monitoring for B. invadens continues through a network of traps with specific lures to determine the presence and success of the control measures. No person may move fruit from an infested area to a non-infested area without a permit. Failure to effectively control fly populations may lead to the dispersal of the pest from the affected areas to other unaffected production areas. It is of utmost importance that no fruit is brought into South Africa (from any country) without a phytosanitary import permit. For technical enquiries please contact : Jan Hendrik Venter Directorate: Plant Health Tel.: +27 12 319 6384 E-mail: [email protected] For media enquiries please contact: Steve Galane Acting Chief Director: Stakeholder Relations and Communication and Legal Services Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tel.: 012 319 7960 Cell: 083 635 7346 E-mail: [email protected] .