Invasive fruit fly species, present in neighboring countries, could undermine the success of the suppression of the medfly. These include the peach fruit fly and the Oriental fruit fly. In order to mitigate this risk, the IAEA has helped Morocco in the development of the early detection of and emergency response to incursions of invasive fruit fly species. The surveillance network is composed of eight sites, classified as high-risk points-of-entry, located along the country’s borders, with a total of 94 traps. Additionally, traps have been placed in 19 supplemental sites identified as risk sites, including in fruit markets, tourist sites and some orchards close to risky areas.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 15, 2019 14:15 UTC