Enhance the current mitigation strategies for invasive fruit flies though the development of a control device that will kill mating females

An auto-dissemination device will infect males with a BIO-pesticide; they will then transmit the BIO-pesticide to the females during mating. This is a continuation of prior years' work; in this year, PI shikano will field test the trap design to evaluate longevity in the field and field efficacy on z. Cucurbitae and b. Dorsalis and will lab test for a. Suspensa. These results will be communicated back to fdacs DPI to refine the trap construction and design. The expected outcomes of this project are a working prototype of this device which contains beauveria bassiana spores and a final report. This PPA7721-funded project includes two cooperative agreements: one with university of hawaii (PI: shikano) and one with fdacs DPI. Cooperator shikano will be responsible for conducting the cage, weathering, and field experiments to evaluate trap efficacy and will communicate with DPI to further refine their station design. Beneficiaries will include USDA, states, and industries that will gain a new tool for controlling the threat of fruit flies.