Peach fruit fly
Whereas spotted-wing drosophila is the black sheep of an otherwise blameless family, the peach fruit fly is one of the Mafiosi of the insect world. By Anna Mouton. The peach fruit fly — Bactrocera zonata — shares a genus with…
Yin and yang
Understanding the cold sterilisation of dual-temperature plums. By Esté Beerwinkel. Yin and yang describe how seemingly opposite forces may actually be complementary. Dual-temperature plums need both moderate and cold temperatures to be successful on the international markets. In this Q&A,…
A citrus perspective on Oriental fruit fly
What can the Western Cape learn? By Grethe Bestbier. Up to now the Western Cape has dodged the Oriental fruit fly bullet, but other parts of South Africa have not been so fortunate. According to Dr Aruna Manrakhan, research entomologist…
Going the distance
Factors influencing dispersal in Oriental fruit flies. By Grethe Bestbier. “At the moment the Western Cape is an Oriental fruit fly free area, and we want to maintain it like that,” says Prof. Chris Weldon from the Department of Zoology…
A tale of two flies
How Oriental fruit flies differ from Mediterranean fruit flies. By Grethe Bestbier. The Mediterranean fruit fly has long been established across South Africa and now a new kid on the block has appeared: the Oriental fruit fly. While both Mediterranean…