Fruit fly tests in Greece target invasive species threat

In a small persimmon orchard in northern Greece, scientists carefully open paper bags to release thousands of flies, in an experiment aimed at blunting the destructive impact of invasive new species.

The insects are sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies (Ceratitis capitata), a pest that annually causes significant damage to crops in Naousa, where a large proportion of Greece’s prominent export, the peach, is produced.

But the project is ultimately aimed at curbing an even greater threat: fruit fly species from Asia, which have begun to make their appearance in southeastern Europe as climate change increases local temperatures.

The four-year, EU-funded project titled REACT brings together researchers from 12 different countries including the UK, Israel and South Africa.

The programme h