The work was done at the ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, in Gainesville, Florida. Traditional methods for monitoring, controlling, and eradicating fruit flies have relied on traps that use a variety of chemical compounds or protein. The traps also use sticky materials to retain the captured insects. Since female fruit flies need protein to ensure fecundity, protein is used in traps to attract them. But it's cumbersome and has disadvantages, such as difficulty in baiting the trap and removing trapped insects.
Traps using protein baits also capture large numbers of nontarget insects.
A newer version of the trap uses a combination of chemical and visual stimuli to attract and trap the fruit flies. The three chemicals lure the flies into the trap, where they are enticed to feed on a panel that contains a feeding stimulant and toxicant. The cylindrical shape of the trap provides the visual stimulus by mimicking the three-dimensionality of host fruit.