Suppression of Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) with Trimedlure and Biolure dispensers in Coffea arabica (Gentianales: Rubiaceae) in Hawaii

Authors: Vargas, Roger; Souder, Steven; RENDON, PEDRO - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), National Wildlife Center; Mackey, Bruce

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/7/2017
Publication Date: 11/23/2017
Citation: Vargas, R.I., Souder, S., Rendon, P., Mackey, B.E. 2017. Suppression of Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) with Trimedlure and Biolure dispensers in Coffea arabica (Gentianales: Rubiaceae) in Hawaii. Journal of Economic Entomology. 111(1):293-297. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox303.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox303

Interpretive Summary: In Hawaii, the recommended treatment for Mediterranean fruit fly attacking temperate crops is threefold: 1) Sanitation-removing and destroying all fruit left in the field, 2) Application of spinosad based bait sprays and 3) Biolure traps. The use of male annihiliation treatment has been highly successful against Bactrocera species. However, there are no published trials of MAT suppression with trimedlure(TML) against Ceratitis species. In the present study we critically examined the use of a solid triple lure TMR (TML, ME, and RK)(Farmatech International, North Bend, WA) dispenser without an insecticide and 2g TML plugs (Farmatech International, North Bend, WA) placed inside one-way traps as an “attract and kill” MAT TML treatment for suppression of C.capitata during both the coffee season and the off season. Studies of TML dispensers were conducted by researchers from the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI. Based on C.capitata captures, inside monitoring traps, all treatments were significantly lower than the control plot which had no treatment. Our results show mass trapping with TML or TMR dispensers inside one-way traps deserves further study as a component for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of C.capitata in addition to 1) Sanitation, 2) GF-120 and 3) Biolure traps. These results with TML in dispensers as a MAT treatment are some of the first published field suppression results and deserve further study.

Technical Abstract: Solid Trimedlure[TML] dispensers and novel solid triple lure dispensers[TMR] without insecticides were tested as “attract and kill” devices alone and in combination with Biolure mass trapping to evaluate suppression of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata(Wiedemann) in a large coffee plantation(˜1,335 ha) near Eleele, Kauai Island, HI. Comparisons were made in four different areas (N, S, E and W) with four separate randomized complete blocks of coffee. Blocks were treated with: 1) Biolure (50 per ha), 2) TML or TMR (50 per ha), 3) Biolure (25 per ha) + TML or TMR (25 per ha), or 4) Nothing (control). During trial one, based on C.capitata captures (mean flies per trap per wk) inside plastic McPhail traps, all treatments were significantly different than the control: Biolure (9.57) = TMR (11.28) = Biolure +TMR (13.50) < Control (36.06). During trial two, all treatments were significantly different than the control and TML was significantly lower than Biolure (wax matrix bait stations): TML (0.95 ) < Biolure (1.43) = Biolure +TML (1.77) < Control (2.81 ). Surprisingly, captures were not lower in plots treated with combinations of Biolure + TMR or TML, compared to individual plots with Biolure or TML/TMR. Nonetheless, mass trapping with either TML or TMR dispensers deserves further study as a component for Integrated Pest Management of C.capitata in addition to 1) Sanitation, 2) GF-120 Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait and 3) Biolure traps which are currently recommended for control of C.capitata in Hawaii.