Rapid Delimiting of Pest Infestations: A Case Study of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly

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Abstract
The problem of quickly determining the extent of pest insect infestations, e.g., C. capitata (Wied.) infestation in California [USA], is considered. Trapping is the primary method of detection. Analytical techniques are used to provide a relationship between single trap performance as measured in the laboratory and the performance of groups of traps in the field. Monte Carlo simulation techniques are used to compare the efficiency of various trap placement patterns. Depending on the objective adopted, the optimal choice of trap pattern may be a rectangle or a cross.