In September 2015, Oriental fruit flies were detected in Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF), in collaboration with Kagoshima Prefecture, is conducting phytosanitary measures for eradication.
MAFF has worked with the prefectural governments to conduct monitoring surveys for the early detection of Oriental fruit flies that are blown into the Southwest Islands of Japan with seasonal tropical storm (typhoons) from Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
This year, 531 adult Oriental fruit flies were trapped in Amami Oshima Island between 1 September and 30 October 2015. In response to the detections, MAFF is performing following phytosanitary measures for eradication:
● survey using intensive trapping all through the Amami Islands, Kyushu area and Okinawa Prefecture ● deploy a large number of the Celotex plates impregnated with the lure/insecticide mixture to attract and kill the flies ● apply insecticide to host plants and destroy host fruits surrounding the detection sites
The movement prohibited area will be established in Amami Oshima Island under the Plant Protection Act and all host plants and host fruits in the area will be destroyed and the movement of the host plants will be prohibited from the area.