Insecticidal properties of erythritol on four tropical tephritid fruit flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, Ceratitis capitata, Bactrocera dorsalis, and B. latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Authors: Cha, Dong; Skabeikis, Dominick; KIM, BONG-SOO - Animal And Plant Quarantine Agency; Lee, Jana; Choi, Man-Yeon

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/2023
Publication Date: 5/16/2023
Citation: Cha, D.H., Skabeikis, D.D., Kim, B., Lee, J.C., Choi, M.Y. 2023. Insecticidal properties of erythritol on four tropical tephritid fruit flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, Ceratitis capitata, Bactrocera dorsalis, and B. latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae). Insects. 14(5). Article 472. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050472.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050472

Interpretive Summary: Tropical tephritid fruit flies such as melon fly, Mediterranean fruit fly, oriental fruit fly, and Malaysian fruit fly are among the most destructive insect pests of fruit and vegetable crops. Main control methods of these flies are spraying bait sprays interlaced with insecticide. However, resistance development to bait sprays has been reported. Researchers at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Hilo, HI and Corvallis, OR are testing whether erythritol, a non-caloric sugar alternative, has insecticidal effect on these flies. In laboratory assays, it was found that erythritol alone or its formulations containing sucrose have a significant negative effect on survival of these flies, suggesting a potential of erythritol as a non-toxic management tool for the control tropical tephritid fruit flies.

Technical Abstract: Tephritid fruit flies are among the most destructive agricultural pests of fruits and vegetables worldwide and have global significance as trade barriers of fresh tropical commodities. These fly pests include the melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae, the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata, the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis, and the solanum fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons. The flies have entered and estab-lished Hawaii in the U.S. and have been making frequent incursions into agri-culturally important countries, including the U.S. mainland. There is a critical need to improve the fruit fly management programs, which include quarantine and control methods. In this study, we tested the non-nutritive sugars, including erythritol, with the four fruit fly species, and found that erythritol alone or its formulations containing sucrose have a significant effect on these fly survivals.