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Among many groups of pest species, true fruit flies (Díptera: Tephritidae) are the most important in the horticulture industry worldwide. Female fruit flies oviposit their eggs under the skin of the fruits or vegetables, which hatch into larvae and feed on the fruit flesh, causing it to rot earlier and fall off the tree, making the fruits unsuitable for human consumption. As a result, growers suffer from low yield production and export becomes almost impossible due to zero tolerance standards of fruit fly infestations by most quarantine authorities worldwide.
Most fruit flies are polyphagous and attack many important fruit and vegetable species. For instance, Bactrocera dorsalis (also known in Africa as B. invadens) and Ceratitis capitata are known each to infest over 300 different fruit and vegetable species, such as citrus, mango, peach and apples. In Africa and Asia, fruit flies cause significant loss in fruits, for example, 40-80% of mango fruits are damaged by fruit flies and are inappropriate for marketing. Fruit flies are good flyers and can colonize new areas relatively well. In addition, they can invade new places through export of crops.
Mango, avocado and cucurbit exported crops from Sub Sahara Africa and Asia are sometimes stopped before they reach their destination, while agricultural boycotts are sometimes imposed on the exporting countries for long periods of time. This causes significant damage to farmers' income as well as to local population food security, who suffer from a lower nutritional quality and quantity. To date, the most common solution for controlling fruit fly pests are chemical sprays. The downside of spraying is that on a large scale, the infestation rate can remain high, export is mostly forbidden because of residues in the fruit and natural biological control is damaged. Additionally, insects have developed resistance and hence the frequency of sprays has increased over the years.
Technology
Biofeed has developed a unique Gravity Controlled Fluid Release (GCFR) technology that is highly effective and does not require spraying. A specific bait is released from a special device in a controlled manner, while the formulation mimics the natural release of scents by insects. The platform consists of a chemical solution, which 1) lures the pest through a specifically developed scent, and 2) through additives such as feeding...