Anamed, an effective long-lasting protein attract and kill system for Tephritid fruit flies

Abstract. Tephritid fruit flies are considered among the most destructive agricultural pests, especially of fruits and vegetables, in the world. These flies are known for the damage caused to a variety of fruits, particularly citrus, greatly impacting the local economies. As a result, food and agricultural agencies around the globe are forced to spend heavily on management measures for these pests. Anamed, developed by ISCA Technologies, is a long-lasting, protein-based attract and kill technology that targets a broad range of tephritid fruit flies. When mixed with insecticides and deployed in standard field sprays, Anamed has shown the capacity to suppress multiple species of fruit fly populations and to reduce the usage of insecticide in fruit growing operations, consequently reducing the risks of insecticide resistance in tephritid populations. Hawaiian field trails with Anamed, conducted from fall 2014 to spring 2015, demonstrated efficacy against four of the major fruit fly pests affecting growers in that region (Ceratitis capitata, the Mediterranean fruit fly; Bactrocera latifrons, the Malaysian fruit fly; Bactrocera dorsalis, the Oriental fruit fly; and Bactrocera cucurbitae, the melon fly), establishing Anamed an important and effective new tool for integrated pest management programs.