The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is one of the most important fruit pests worldwide. Mediterranean fruit fly control in Spain has been based on organophosphate sprays, especially malathion, mixed with protein baits. However, this insecticide has recently been excluded from annex 1 of the Directive 91/414 CEE, which lists authorized active ingredients for pest control in the European Union. This article reports on the efficacy of four alternative baited insecticides on Mediterranean fruit fly and their side effects on three natural enemies [Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant), Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor), and Aphidius colemani (Viereck)] relevant for pest control in citrus agroecosystems. A high Mediterranean fruit fly mortality was obtained for all baited insecticides (phosmet and spinosad) except lambdacyhalothrin, which caused the lowest mortality and showed a novel disabling effect on surviving Mediterranean fruit fly adults. Spinosad proved to be the most selective bait treatment for C. montrouzieri and N. californicus, whereas for A. colemani the most selective bait was phosmet and lambda-cyhalothrin. These findings would contribute to a sustainable chemical control of C. capitata populations under an integrated pest management system in Spanish citrus orchards.

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There are not studies regarding risk assessment of pesticides in citrus grown in Spain. The aim of this study was to estimate the risks caused by worst-case drift scenarios from the principal pesticides used in this crop, in order to assess possible damage to the environment and human health. A field survey was performed to characterize the particular conditions of plant protection product applications to citrus in Spain. Six targets were identified to be the most affected by droplet spray drift in ours, and extensively in most Mediterranean conditions: water organisms, earthworms, bees, adult bystanders, child bystanders and residents. Three drift estimation models were used to assess the amount of drift at specific distances downwind of a field in order to calculate Risk Indicators. These showed safe conditions for earthworms and residents, but also indicated that some pesticides may pose risk to aquatic organisms, even with a 20 m buffer zone, bees, adult bystanders and child bystanders. In general, results generated similar consequences of hazard risk independently of the drift prediction model used, pointing out that toxicological data were more relevant for deducting the risks.