Eradication of Bactrocera cucurbitae in Japan
Bactrocera cucurbitae (EPPO A1 quarantine pest) used to be a very serious pest in the Southwestern Islands of Japan. As already mentioned in EPPO Reporting Service 93/116, it has been eradicated in the following southwestern islands of Japan:
Kume-jima island (eradicated in 1978)
Miyako islands (in 1987)
Amami islands (in 1989)
Okinawa islands (including North and South Daito-jima, in 1990)
Finally, an eradication programme started in 1989 in the Yaeyama islands (585 kmý) and the pest was eradicated in October 1993. It is stressed that the eradication programme implemented to eliminate B. cucurbitae from the whole area of Southwestern Islands of Japan took 22 years, cost a total amount of 20.4 billion yen and that 62.5 billion sterile flies were released. Although, it is considered that D. cucurbitae has been eradicated from Japan, a monitoring system and preventive control measures (release of sterile flies) will still be maintained to avoid any reinfestation.
Sources
Anonymous (1993) Eradication of the melon fly from Japan.
FAO Quarterly Newsletter. Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission, 36 (3-4), 4-5.