The TWG for the Tephritid fruit flies was one of the technical working groups established in the first meeting of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum. The objective was to safeguard the Caribbean from threats and / or the impact of introduction, economic damage and spread of Tephritid fruit flies through investigation, research and the provision of advice on all matters related to Tephritid fruit flies.
One specific objective was to increase knowledge on fruit flies, identification, trapping, fruit collection and management. An evaluation was done of the level of knowledge and application of techniques in the field in several countries; as a result of this evaluation, training was set up for the Caribbean countries in identification of fruit flies, detection methods and management options.
During 2012 and 2013 a number of countries were trained. As a result of these training sessions, a wealth of information has been gathered and prepared. All this information has been collated into the Manual for Identification, Detection and Management of Fruit Flies of Economic Importance for the Caribbean, so that it is available for all who work with fruit flies in the Caribbean.
It was prepared and presented by :
- Mrs. Alies van Sauers-Muller, Coordinator of Fruit Fly Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Suriname and Chair of the CPHD Fruit Fly Technical Working Group.
- Mr. Paul Graham, Pest Management Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Grenada
Edited by: Mr. Lionel Wayne De Chi, Agricultural Scientist, USDA / APHIS IS, Trinidad and Tobago
