Mass trapping evaluation with Cera Trap® as compared to sprays GF-120 NF Naturalyte 0.02 B.C. for the control of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) on coffee plantations at Acatenango region of Guatemala, C.A.

The activity of the Guatemalan coffee grower sector has generated a number of positive effects such as theThe activity of the Guatemalan coffee grower sector has generated a number of positive effects such as thecreation of employment, foreign exchange income and increased production; but it has similarly created aseries negative effects such as those that are now lived where coffee growers have been forced to look upfor new planting alternatives facing the strong global crisis that goes through it. Coffee is one of the cropsGuatemala among the world's top 5 producers competing against countries like Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam andColombia (Javora, 2003).The Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the most destructive pests in the world, has a great capacity toreproduce and is able to wipe out whole fruit plantations. They usually infest fruits with or withoutcommercial value, but then migrate to large-scale plantations and lay their eggs in mature soft-shelledfruits. Sometimes they are detected until the fruit has been marketed and by then, the larva or worm hasdeveloped (MOSCAMED Guatemala Program, 2020).The MOSCAMED program to eradicate and control the Plague of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly usesintegrated pest management IPM, with ground control through spraying being an important part of thismanagement as it allows to reduce pest populations in areas located in outbreaks and detections of freeand low prevalence areas (MOSCAMED Guatemala program, 2020).The bait currently used by the MOSCAMED Guatemala Program is known commercially as GF-120 NFNaturalyte 0.02 C.B. which is a compound of a naturally occurring insecticide, which is produced away fromthe fermentation of proteins and sugars, by means of the bacterium known as Sacharopolyspora spinosa, towhich are added specific food attractants to attract adults from fruit flies (MOSCAMED, 2020).Another way to circumvent the environmental impact of conventional chemical control is through thedevelopment of devices called "bait stations" (BS), which, to be considered efficient, must meet therequirements of being economically profitable, easy to use and long lasting in the field. Closely linked to thebait station (BS) concept is the mass trapping as a control strategy where the application of insecticides iscompletely eliminated.Cera Trap® it’s a product developed and formulated by Bioibérica S.A.U, as a soluble concentrate (SL)hydrolyzed proteins obtained enzymatically, which is used as a food attractant for catching adults from fruitflies by using bait stations in the mass trapping.The competitive advantage of Cera Trap® lies in:1. Its duration is virtually unlimited (as long as there is liquid, thanks to the preservatives)2. Its high capture efficiency3. It is formulated ready for use.All these attributes make their use for control purposes, competing directly with theinsecticide treatments, thanks to mass trapping technology, with cheap home traps thatmake it economical for the grower.As a result of that, MOSCAMED program has been currently initiated the use of a this new tool for thecontrol of the Mediterranean fruit fly pest, this is through the use of Cera Trap®, which is an attractive liquidfood based on a specific protein formulation and is constituted as an ecological solution that does not useinsecticide and is ready to use , the Cera Trap® system is based on the emission of volatile compounds,mainly heterocyclic amines (piperazindions) and organic acids, of high attractive power to adults of the fruitfly complex, especially for virgin females.Coffee-producing countries such as: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico,its coffee parks have been affected not only by the international price situation, fungal conditions such asrust and attenuating the recurring problem of pests such as bit, and it is known that coffee is the largesthost of Mediterranean Fruit Fly, so the results obtained in this area of high infestation of Ceratitis capitatasuch as Acatenango in Guatemala are a paramount importance.