October 23, 2013 at 03:51PM In West Africa, fruit flies have met their match

Fruit flies cause considerable damage in West African orchards, making mangoes, citrus fruits and cashew nuts unfit for consumption. In recent years, researchers from CIRAD and the IITA have developed a range of biological control techniques against these primary and quarantine pests. In particular, they have looked at the weaver ant, a fruit fly predator, which not only eats their larvae but also emits chemical signals that serve to repel female flies. This lethal weapon was detected by researchers from CIRAD and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Benin, within a regional fruit fly control project, WAFFI (West African Fruit Fly Initiative). As a result, fruit attacks have been limited and quality has improved significantly.

via CIRAD - Actualités / News http://www.cirad.fr/news/all-news-items/articles/2013/science/fruit-flies-and-weaver-ants