Cera Trap®, the biological fruit-fly bait from Bioibérica, obtains phytosanitary product registration in Spain

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has the upgraded Cera Trap® registration to a phytosanitary product in Spain.

Cera Trap® is the biological bait fromBioibéricaspecifically designed to capture the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis Capitata. It consists of a liquid protein obtained from an exclusive method of enzymatic hydrolysis that is highly attractive to this pest. It also has an insecticide-free composition and requires no additional products for in-field use. Filled with enough bait to maintain the ability to lure pests throughout the whole of the season and designed to be hung directly on trees, it is applied inside the fly trap. When the flies enter the trap they asphyxiate in the liquid.

Cera Trap® has been on the market since 2007, is available in over 30 countries and has more than 100 on-the-ground trials around the world to its name. Results show that it significantly reduces the fly population without damaging the fruit. “We have also seen that it attracts more females than males and particularly young, sexually immature females with a greater reproductive ability,” says Anna Botta from the R&D department at Bioibérica's Plant Physiology Division.

The Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the most harmful pests in existence today and causes important economic losses in the world's leading fruit-growing areas. The traditional defence strategy based on insecticide treatments close to harvest time is increasingly being called into question due to related toxicological and environmental problems. “Mass trapping with Cera Trap® makes it possible to fight the pests efficiently and selectively in a fully organic fashion, leaving no residue on the fruit,” Botta says.