ORGANIC BIODEGRADABLE BAIT FOR AERIAL APPLICATION OF BAIT STATIONS AGAINST MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY

Goals / Objectives
The APHIS-PPQ Programma Mosca Mediterraneo has requested a bait station to kill Mediterranean fruit flies. The bait must be for aerial dispersal and field longevity of 4-6 weeks to be used for aerial dispersal in tropical, mainly coffee growing habitats. The bait must be registered as organic and non-threatening to the tropical environment.

Project Methods
The scientists in Weslaco will be part of a team of entomologists, chemists, ngineers, and APHIS program managers who will develop the bait, the station matrix, and the equipment to deliver the stations to the field by air. The Weslaco scientists will develop and supervise testing of a liquid or gel bait based on the GF-120 bait we developed for Dow AgroSciences. The bait will contain thickeners, humectants, and additives to increase longevity and rain resistance. We have an extensive list of tested components and the formulation will largely depend on optimizing the formula to extend field longevity and increase attraction and feeding of target flies on the bait.

Progress 05/01/04 to 09/30/04

Outputs
4. What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? D. Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement with ARS and APHIS-PPQ (Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection Quarantine). Additional details of research can be found in the parent project 6204-43000-013-00D "Management of Subtropical Fruits and Vegetable Pests Using Quarantine Alternatives." This agreement was developed to initiate research to develop an aerially applied bait that was soaked into a fibrous matrix application against the Mediterranean fruit fly populations in Guatemala. APHIS PPQ provided $50,000 to our laboratory to buy equipment, pay for testing of material in Texas and Mexico, hire temporary employees to perform tests, and purchase chemicals for testing. The concept is to use the matrix, which would be a biodegradable paper or compressed fiber type material, to support the concentrate GF120 bait, which we developed with Dow Agrosciences, and then add other attractive and feeding stimulant components to extend the effective life of this mixture under Guatemalan dry season conditions for more than 4 weeks. The APHIS-PPQ and APHIS-IS team and cooperating engineers will design a system to apply the bait components to the fiber, cut the fiber patches into small (ca. 9 cm2) units, and design a mechanism to disperse the material from aircraft. In this project to date, we have developed a bait mixture, tested it for stability under Texas orchard conditions and sent samples to Guatemala for Mosca Med technicians to test. We expect to continue with a series to test additives to improve function and stability of the bait. We have the equipment we need for testing viscosity and other physical characteristics of the bait and should be able to continue supplying samples for testing though the remaining months of this agreement. We have also contacted Dow Agrosciences and have the cooperation of their product development teams for this bait system. Research on this project is scheduled to continue using unit funds and technical support from APHIS-IS in Guatemala.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications