Individual Shrink Wrapping: A Technique for Fruit Fly Disinfestation in Tropical Fruits

Abstract

Papayas ( Carica papaya L.) that were infested with eggs and first instar larvae of the Oriental fruit fly ( Dacus dorsalis Hendel) showed a reduction in the number of insects present when the fruits were subsequently wrapped for at least 96 hr with plastic shrink-wrap film. In a related study, individually wrapped mangoes ( Mangifera indica L.) that were artificially infested with larvae of Drosophila melanogaster no longer harbored living larvae when the wrap remained for 72 hr. These studies suggest that further development of individual film wrapping techniques may provide a method for eliminating insect infestation from some edible fruits.