The Management of Fruit Flies in Colombia: A Long Road to Travel

Fruit production is an expanding sector within Colombian agriculture. There are numerous native and exotic fruit species produced both for the international and local markets. Fruit flies are the main pests for these commodities. Initial information about Colombian fruit flies was provided in 1981 when the first list of species was published (13 species), but recently this number reached 95, which includes the exotic medfly. Among those species, there are six with quarantine restrictions, but others affect fruits for local markets. Knowledge of the biology and ecology of fruit flies in Colombia is scarce; only recently, data on these topics and genetics have been obtained. Despite this, some actions have been undertaken to manage this pest. The climatic conditions and size of orchards in Colombia differ from those in other Latin American countries where control measures have been successful; such differences affect the implementation of fruit fly management strategies. Recent findings, however, suggest unique biology and ecology characteristics that could be favorable for pest management. In this chapter, we explore fruit flies in Colombia, including their diversity, biology, and ecology, and advances in pest management and specifically include an analysis, considering social and bioecological data, of the requirements for establishment management actions.