DEVELOPMENT OF LURES FOR DETECTION AND DELIMITATION OF INVASIVE ANASTREPHA FRUIT FLIES.

Authors: Epsky, Nancy; Kendra, Paul; Heath, Robert

Submitted to: Caribbean Food Crops Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/16/2003
Publication Date: 7/19/2004
Citation: Epsky, N.D., Kendra, P.E., Heath, R.R. 2004. Development of lures for detection and delimitation of invasive Anastrepha fruit flies. Pp. 84-89 In W. Klassen, W. Colon, and W.I. Lugo (eds.). Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society, July 2003. Grenada.

Interpretive Summary: Fruit flies are the most important pest of fruits and vegetables world wide. Anastrepha species of particular importance to the Caribbean Basin include the West Indian fruit fly, the Mexican fruit fly, the guava fruit fly and the sapote fruit fly. Scientists at the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in collaboration with UN/IAEA conducted field tests, in countries where these flies are present, to compare effectiveness of currently used baits for detection of fruit flies in the genus Anastrepha. Results of tests conducted in Columbia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico found that the highest capture tended to be in traps baited with liquid protein, with highest capture in traps baited with ammonium acetate-based synthetic attractants in the remaining tests. No prior knowledge was available regarding the comparative effectiveness of these baits. Thus these findings are the first published results of field comparisons. Based on these findings, action agencies will use these results in management decisions related to detection of these invasive fruit fly species.

Technical Abstract: Development of female-biased synthetic attractants for fruit flies offers considerable opportunities for fruit fly management programs. Traps baited with a food-based synthetic attractant composed of ammonium acetate, putrescine and trimethylamine is being used to detect and delimit populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata. Current research is being conducted with 14 countries via an FAO/IAEA-sponsored Cooperative Research Program to determine the utility of this synthetic attractant for detection of other fruit flies, particularly those in the genus Anastrepha. These include tests of the Mexican fruit fly A. ludens; the West Indian fruit fly, A. obliqua; the guava fruit fly, A. striata; and the sapote fruit fly, A. serpentina; species of concern for the Caribbean basin. Results of tests conducted in Columbia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico found that the highest capture tended to be in traps baited with liquid protein (11 out of 15 tests), with highest capture in traps baited with ammonium acetate-based synthetic attractants in the remaining tests. The role of ammonium release rate from preferred baits and development of improved attractants for these species is discussed.