Disruption of Sex Pheromone Biosynthesis: A Novel Control Method for Pestiferous Fruit Flies (2004-2006)

Fruit flies from the genus Bactrocera are economically important worldwide. B. tryoni (Queensland fruit fly) is the most damaging horticultural pest in Australia and B. oleae (olive fly) is a major European pest. These flies use chemicals of similar but distinct structure for communication and particularly for finding mates. This research will examine the pathways and enzymes these flies use to synthesise sex pheromones. We propose that understanding the chemical and biochemical steps employed by the flies will allow us to design inhibitors to prevent pheromone production and thus provide a novel species specific method for controlling fruit flies.