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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #144745
Title: CAPTURE OF MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLIES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE)IN DRY TRAPS BAITED WITH A FOOD-BASED ATTRACTANT AND JACKSON TRAPS BAITED WITH TRIMEDLURE DURING STERILE MALE RELEASE IN GUATEMALA

Author
item Midgarden, David
item OVALLE, O. - APHIS-IS
item Epsky, Nancy
item Puche, Helena
item Kendra, Paul
item RENDON, P - APHIS-IS
item Heath, Robert

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2004
Publication Date: 12/1/2004
Citation: Midgarden, D.G., Ovalle, O., Epsky, N.D., Puche, H., Kendra, P.E., Rendon, P., Heath, R.R. 2004. Comparison of Food Based Attractant and Trimedlure for Detection of Mediterranean Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) During Sterile Release of Mediterranean Fruit Flies. Journal of Economic Entomology. 97: 2137-2143.

Interpretive Summary: The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) is a serious economic pest that threatens fruit and vegetable production worldwide. Current management strategies include the use of trimedlure-baited Jackson traps for Medfly detection and monitoring, and the release of sterile male flies for population suppression. The disadvantage of using the two concurrently is that trimedlure is a very effective attractant for male Medflies and large numbers of sterile males are captured in Jackson traps, thereby reducing the impact of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and requiring a costly, labor-intensive process of examining the flies to determine if they are sterile or wild. Scientists from the USDA-ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station and APHIS-IS (Guatemala) compared the trapping efficacy of the male-biased Jackson trap to a female-biased cylindrical trap containing a three-component synthetic lure consisting of ammonium acetate, putrescine, and trimethylamine. Field trials in Guatemala demonstrated that the cylindrical trap had several advantages over the Jackson trap when used with SIT. The cylindrical trap captured significantly more wild Medflies than did the Jackson trap. Of the wild flies captured by cylindrical traps, 60% were females; the Jackson trap caught no females The Jackson trap captured 86.4% of the sterile male flies compared to 13.6% captured by cylindrical traps. Significantly fewer sterile Medflies were caught in cylindrical traps, however the number of males was sufficient to document the distribution of sterile flies. Also, since fewer flies were captured, the cost of processing the flies was significantly less. The results indicated that the cylindrical trap may be more appropriate than the trimedlure-baited Jackson trap for Medfly SIT programs, since the three-component trapping system can be used effectively to monitor distributions of sterile releases and to detect wild Medfly populations, a critical component for the eradication effort.

Technical Abstract: Efficacy of trapping the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), was compared between the male-biased Jackson trap, baited with trimedlure, and a female-biased cylindrical trap, baited with a synthetic lure consisting of ammonium acetate, putrescine, and trimethylamine. Tests were conducted in Guatemala during a sterile fly release program in an area where wild flies were present in low numbers. The cylindrical trap captured significantly more wild flies than did the Jackson trap. Of the wild flies captured by cylindrical traps, 60% were females; the Jackson trap caught no females. The Jackson trap captured 86.4% of the sterile male flies compared to 13.6% captured by cylindrical traps, and there was a significant correlation of sterile flies captures between the two types of trap. Significantly fewer sterile flies were caught in cylindrical traps, however the number of males was sufficient to document the distribution of sterile flies. Also, since fewer flies were captured, there was a reduction in the labor-intensive process of examining flies for sterility status, at a significantly lower cost to the sterile fly release program. The results indicated that the cylindrical trap may be more appropriate than the trimedlure-baited Jackson trap for C. Capitata sterile release programs, since the three-component trapping system can be used effectively to monitor distributions of sterile releases and to detect wild fruit fly populations, a critical component for the eradication effort.