Integrated management of fruit flies: Case studies from Ghana

This case study is an overview of the general fruit fly situation in Ghana, starting with a historical background on fruit fly studies in Ghana, through the period when Bactrocera dorsalis invaded Africa in the early- to mid-2000s, to the present. We focus on the importance and contribution of agriculture to the economy of Ghana, the effect of fruit flies on agricultural production, the local and export markets (especially of horticultural produce), and attempts made to manage fruit fly populations. These attempts include the initial acceptance that the challenge of fruit flies was a national issue requiring the development of strategic action plans by the Ghana National fruit fly Management Committee (NFFMC) to understand the biology and ecology of the pest and implement effective management. The strategies include a four-point plan consisting of three main management strategies: (1) Bait application technique (BAT), (2) Male annihilation technique (MAT) and (3) Orchard Sanitation/Farm Hygiene, and a fourth non-management strategy: (4) Capacity Building, Awareness Creation and Information Dissemination. The latter ensured that there was a highly knowledgeable human capital base, well-equipped with the necessary information to undertake the management actions. This has resulted in the development of some innovative tools such as the development of the Fruit Fly Resource Box, which is widely used in Ghana and gradually gaining recognition in neighbouring countries.