Various control methods have been practised by the AMS in order to reduce the losses due to • Bagging of the un-infested fruits with plastic, cloth or paper • Field sanitation, especially collecting the infested fruits; then bury them properly • Cultural practices such as pruning • The use of sterile insect technique • Monitoring and mass trapping by using attractant including (1) the male pheromone methyl • Application of selective insecticides Among the various methods mentioned above, the use of attractant (both male attractant and food lure) is apparently most commonly practised in the region; natural enemies (parasitoids and entomopathogenic fungi) and sterile insect techniques appear not to be commonly used. Attractants are reported to be especially effective when integrated with other approaches: especially field sanitation and wide-area cultural practices that avoid immigration from neighbouring, untreated (often non-commercial) areas. The participation of farmer groups and the other stakeholders, working together, is an important factor for the success of fruit-fly management over suitably large areas. The ABC database revealed that only Indonesia and Vietnam have registered products for fruit-fly management. Methyl eugenol and protein bait-based products appear to be available in the two countries, whereby abamectin is only registered for use against fruit fly in Vietnam. However, it was confirmed by the other AMS that attractants were also available in the other countries but registered as industrial chemicals (but sold as plant protection products). • Male attractant including methyl eugenol 4-allyl-1, 2-dimethoxybenzene-carboxylate, and Cue lure 4-(p-Acetoxyphenyl)-butan-2-one: The male attractants were used both for monitoring and mass trapping. With regard to mass trapping, Indonesia recommended to use 16 traps/ha for orange and 20 traps/ha for mango. In many cases, selected insecticides are also applied inside the trap or put onto a wooden block surface to kill the flies immediately. The attractant is applied throughout the year over as many years as needed to reduce the populations of fruit fly to very low levels. To maintain the effectiveness of ME, ME blocks are replaced with fresh ones every 2-3 months, while ME liquid (applied with cotton rolls as carrier) is replenished every two weeks. The attractant can be placed in Steiner traps or traps crafted out of common plastic bottles. If the lure has to be placed high inside trees, ME blocks are nailed onto the trunk. • The success of mass trapping depends strongly on the time of application. Since mass trapping is a prophylactic tool, it is recommended to start mass trapping when the population is low. Therefore, the threshold level concept that is usually applied in the context of chemical pesticides is not applicable here. Besides trap density and timing of mass trapping, it is also important to consider the appropriate placement of traps: for example, the most effective height of traps can vary depending on the crop in question. Trap design may be another important factor. 38 the fruit fly in the region as follows: eugenol (ME): 4-allyl-1, 2-dimethoxybenzene-carboxylate; Cue lure: 4-(p-Acetoxyphenyl)- butan-2-one (2) food lure (protein bait-based products) • Soil application of entomopathogenic fungi (e.g. Metarhizium) against fruit-fly larvae • The use of parasitoids e.g. Braconidae (Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, Biosteres spp. and Opius spp.)
Implementing Biological Control Agents in the ASEAN Region
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