Mediterranean Drosophila: Why do you hate it?

Not long ago, China's quarantine department intercepted the exotic Mediterranean fruit fly again. This kind of bug is famous in the quarantine circle, and all countries in the world are wary of this guy, fearing that it will sneak into their own country. Why is this humble little guy so hateful? How did it destroy it?

Bug, great power

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) is a bit like a fly, but smaller than a housefly, and its body color is much more beautiful. It looks soft and weak, and does not do anything to spread human diseases. However, this guy is called the "fruit killer", and it is very powerful, because their harm to fruits is extremely terrible.

The origin of this bug is in the difficult Sahara region of Africa, and it adapts to temperate and subtropical climate. Their adults like honeydew (actually sugary poop) produced by aphids, mealybugs and other insects. Female insects lay eggs in fruits, and larvae grow up by eating fruits. The female insect looks for ripe fruit, then drills a hole in the epidermis, lays 2-6 eggs, and then makes a hole. Female flies can lay up to 40 eggs a day, and in the best case, they can lay about 1000 eggs in their lifetime, and in general, they can lay hundreds of eggs, so they are fertility experts. Larvae can hatch in a few days, which is another kind of maggot. When they feed, it will cause bacterial pollution of fruits and promote fruit decay. When maggots grow up, they will climb to the surface of the fruit, bow up, and then "bang", fall to the ground, get into the soil and prepare to pupate. Pupa can survive the winter, and in a suitable climate, it can also become an adult within a week.

Larvae are not picky eaters during their growth, and at least 67 families and 353 kinds of fruits and vegetables are harmed by them. The most serious harm is concentrated in Myrtaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Caprifoliaceae and Solanaceae, and they are generally infected. What is this concept? Apples, pears, apricots, peaches, etc. All belong to Rosaceae, while tomatoes, peppers and so on. All belong to solanaceae ... You're welcome to say that most of the fruits or vegetables we eat are in other people's recipes. Even Ericaceae plants like blueberries are in other people's recipes ... and because they will cause the fruit on fruit trees to rot and fall off, it is almost devastating to the fruit industry! After this guy was first confirmed to have been introduced to Spain in 1842, he began a journey of global conquest, and every event was shocking. For example, the Mediterranean fruit fly broke out in Italy in 1863, which harmed 100% of peaches, and then arrived in Hawaii in 1907, causing 20. About 196 1 year ago, it harmed 20-25% of citrus, 9 1% of peach, 55% of apricot and 15% of plum in Jordan. ...

Prevention is not easy.

Once the Mediterranean fruit fly breaks out, it is extremely difficult to control, because even a small amount of fish that escape the net will soon resurface. 1929, after the first outbreak of Mediterranean fruit fly in Florida, USA, in order to eradicate it, all the fruits were picked locally, and honey bait containing arsenic was sprayed, and more than 6,000 people were mobilized. After two years of history, the Mediterranean fruit fly was finally eradicated in 487 square kilometers of infected land, at least at first. In fact, this happened at least 10 times in Florida. ...

There are no reports of Mediterranean fruit flies in China, but the situation is very dangerous. According to Liang Guangqin's estimation, most areas south of Huaihe River in China are suitable for the growth of Mediterranean fruit flies, and these areas are also important fruit producing areas in China. Once invaded, the consequences are unimaginable. However, some studies show that a small number of Mediterranean fruit flies can breed and cover these orchards in just two years. China has listed rice leaf roller as the quarantine object since 198 1. In recent years, we have attached great importance to banning the import of fruits and vegetables in epidemic areas and implemented a fruit quarantine examination and approval system. In order to prevent fruit and vegetable pests including Bactrocera dorsalis from being brought into China, it is forbidden for anyone to bring fruits and vegetables into the country. Food eaten during the journey must be disposed of by yourself before entering the country, and peel garbage is not allowed to be discarded at will. In order to prepare for a rainy day, starting from 1994, China has set up at least hundreds of monitoring points (not full-time monitoring of Mediterranean fruit flies, of course) to put attractants and traps. So far, the occurrence of Mediterranean fruit fly has not been monitored, which shows that our method is still effective.

However, with the development of trade and tourism, the pressure of quarantine is increasing and the forms are becoming more and more diversified. For example, 20 13, this bug was first found in an empty container. Taking passengers as an example, from August 1993 to July 1999, Mediterranean fruit flies 12 were detected from fruits and vegetables carried by passengers at ports such as Beijing, Tianjin and Guangzhou, while only 7 were detected in Guangzhou in the first quarter of 2006! Therefore, when we travel to the countryside, we should not bring fresh fruits and vegetables, but also put the peel garbage in the designated place. As for possession, it is even more wrong. Although some friends may only go out once and want to take some home for their families to taste, it is understandable, but please make some sacrifices for the sake of national agricultural safety and compliance with laws and regulations. As for some local tyrants who can go to Japan to buy rice and return home, don't bring fruit or anything. If you miss fruits and vegetables somewhere, you can stay a few more days. Besides, I have one more sentence. In fact, some rice abroad is also polluted, really. ...

Not all fruit flies are called Mediterranean fruit flies.

In addition to the Mediterranean Bactrocera, there are actually many species of Bactrocera (Bactrocera, Bactrocera), about 5,000 species, and about 400 species have been recorded in China. Not all of them are as exaggerated as the fruits of the Mediterranean. In that case, the day really won't last. ...

All kinds of fruit flies are harmful to fruits and vegetables. For example, Bactrocera dorsalis, which caused some people to panic about citrus in 2008, is a big pest in China's citrus industry. However, China native species are very common in China. Unlike Bactrocera dorsalis in the Mediterranean, there is not such a wide range of recipes. Others confuse it with Bactrocera dorsalis, which invaded China. The latter is native to South Asia and also harms citrus. Besides these, there are many common fruit flies, such as Drosophila peltata, Drosophila tau, Drosophila cucturbitae and so on.

Unlike saprophytic flies, fruit flies that eat fresh fruit are cleaner. It doesn't matter if there are larvae in the fruit you bought. Just dig out that small piece of pulp and continue to eat. If you throw away the whole fruit just because of this small defect, the author says that you will feel sorry for those who have tried ... Fruit flies are also considered as a kind of fruit flies. But it is not a family with Drosophila melanogaster used in the laboratory. Drosophila melanogaster belongs to Drosophila family, and it is one of the most clearly studied animals for human beings so far. As a classic experimental animal, Drosophila has made indelible contributions to the development of human science. You can easily find Drosophila melanogaster or its close relatives in grapes or fruit baskets that have been placed for a while. They also multiply rapidly and live in the house with us, but because they will fly into the garbage basket and fly back to the fruit basket, it is better to have fewer children.