Dear fruit fly workers,

Tephritid fruit flies, due to the economic importance of many species and their threat to fruit and vegetable production and trade worldwide, are becoming increasingly important. As a consequence, a tremendous amount of information is made available each year: new technologies developed, new information on their biology and ecology; new control methods made available, new species identified, new outbreaks recorded and new operational control programmes launched. Because things are evolving so rapidly in this field, it is of utmost importance to develop a site that collects and shares this information allowing each Tephritid fruit fly worker worldwide to keep up-to-date on the most recent developments.

International fruit fly symposia and other meetings, though providing a fantastic occasion to meet with colleagues, exchange views, learn about new methodologies, do not provide an easily accessible and always available tool for a colleague who needs an e-mail address, or who is looking for an expert in a specific field, or who is looking for some information or an urgent response to a problem encountered in the field.

In the past, a very useful newsletter with information on fruit fly workers was issued annually by some fruit fly colleagues (mainly Boller and Liedo with others) under the auspices of the International Organisation of Biological Control (IOBC). Unfortunately this database is no longer maintained. As part of its mandate to provide colleagues in Member States with mechanisms for increased collaboration, the Insect Pest Control Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has decided to re-establish the database on the web called Tephritid Workers. This database will be available on the Internet to all fruit fly workers and other interested parties and be maintained by the participants, who gain access to their own pages by using their username and password. The database will include powerful search engines. The goal of the initiative is to facilitate collection and sharing of data between fruitfly workers. Registration is possible electronically through the web site (www.tephritid.org). To be member, you need simply to fill the Membership Form and press submit.

In order to initiate the launch of this service, your contribution is needed and we greatly appreciate if you could share this information with colleagues you know work in the fruit fly field.

With your help, we are convinced that this database will quickly become an essential tool for Tephritid fruit fly workers worldwide.