Cold Disinfestation of Hass Avocado (Persia americana) of Three Species of Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)- Ceratitis capitata, Ceratitis rosa, and Ceratitis cosyra

The avocado industry is important in South Africa, but access to certain markets is impeded by the presence of phytosanitary pests. One of the ways of securing entry to these markets is to demonstrate that a mitigating treatment will result in there being a negligible chance of accidental importation. In cold treatment comparative studies at 0 degrees C and 2 degrees C of immature stages of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Ceratitis rosa Karsch, and Ceratitis cosyra (Walker) in Hass avocado, the third instar of C. cosyra was shown to be the most cold tolerant. This larval life stage was used in a large-scale trial to test treatment efficacy at 2 degrees C, a temperature known to be the better for fruit quality. There were no survivors from the 49,795 individual fruit fly larvae subjected to the cold treatment at 2 degrees C for 20 d. It is argued that, although this level of assessment falls short of the Probit 9 level normally required for fruit fly, they are rarely found in avocado fruit and that the level of disinfestation obtained is more than sufficient to achieve quarantine security.