A Natural Pesticide

Farmers can now protect their crops from fruit flies by enlisting the help of other bugs.

Muscidifurax raptor, a type of parasitic insect that kills its host, has proven to be effective in the control of fruit flies in vineyards, according to a new study published in the journal American Society for Horticultural Science.

Until recently, chemical insecticides and other parasites were often used to ward off the flies. These methods weren’t popular with farmers because of the adverse effects of chemicals and the unreliability of living parasites.

"Now we have discovered a parasitoid that is easily produced and effective in controlling fruit flies," said entomologist Jean Pierre Kapongo of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, who authored the study.

Insectaries, where parasitic insects are produced and sold, are ready to increase production of the insects to meet market demands, he added.

Researchers believe that the study’s results can help also control flies that threaten animals in confined environments such as poultry houses, dairies and horse stables.

--LiveScience Staff

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Credit: Scott Bauer/ASHS