Notification on the change of status of Bactrocera dorsalis (Oriental Fruit Fly) in Sunday’s River Valley, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Publication Date

Wed, 01 Dec 2021, 14:36

Last Updated

Dec. 9, 2021, 9:14 a.m.

Report Number

ZAF-56/3

Country

South Africa

Pest Id

Bactrocera dorsalis - (DACUDO)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

Fruit commodities that are exported and considered hosts of this pest and produced or present in this area of South Africa are under threat.

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and under official control

Geographical Distribution

A number of male B. dorsalis specimens were detected, in Methyl Eugenol-baited traps alongside the Sarah Baartman District Municipality and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province, between the months of May to August 2021.

Summary

After several delimiting surveys and eradication attempts of B. dorsalis in the Sundays River Valley area of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, it has been decided that continuous eradication of the pest within the affected area is no longer feasible. The feasibility to develop and declare the Sundays River Valley as an area of low B. dorsalis prevalence will be investigated given that low numbers of the pest were detected. The identification of all the specimens was confirmed by an expert in Entomology through molecular analysis (PCR).

The spread of the pest to other areas of the Eastern Cape Province, which are still free from B. dorsalis , will be regulated in terms of Regulation 110 of the Agricultural Pests Act 36 of 1983 (Act No. 36 of 1983) which restricts the movement of affected host material to pest free areas. The status of the pest in the Sundays River Valley area of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa is: Present

Danger

Potential spread or establishment of B. dorsalis into other production areas where its presence may impede the export potential of the relevant host commodities affected.

Contact for info

Ms Shirley Mathelemuse Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Private Bag X14, Gezina 0031, Pretoria, South Africa Email: [email protected]

Report files

Notification on the change of status of Bactrocera dorsalis (Oriental Fruit Fly) in Sunday’s River Valley, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Website

Issue keywords

Delimiting survey Economic impact

Commodity keywords