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Title: COMPARISON OF CERALURE AND TRIMEDLURE CONTROLLED-RELEASE FORMULATIONS FOR MALE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLIES IN C&C TRAPS

Author
item Warthen Jr, J
item CUNNINGHAM, ROY - USDA RETIRED
item Leonhardt, Barbara
item COOK, JOHN - FARMA TECH INTERNATIONAL
item AVERY, JAMES - EPA
item HARTE, EILEEN - RETIRED

Submitted to: Journal of Chemical Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/27/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The mass trapping of male medflies, a world-wide pest of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, in C&C traps was demonstrated with polymeric panels containing the attractant trimedlure. The problem was to compare the more persistent attractant, ceralure, with trimedlure in similar panels to improve upon mass trapping. field tests in Hawaii using released flies showed that the active ceralure B1 isomer in a commercial mixture of ceralure isomers formulated in panels consistently caught as many male flies as active trimedlure C isomer in a commercial mixture of trimedlure isomers formulated in panels in C&C traps at one-half the molar quantity of trimedlure C. The impact of this finding is that male medflies can be effectively captured for at least 26 weeks, resulting in a less labor intensive and thereby more cost effective mass trapping.

Technical Abstract: The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Weidemann), is a major pest of fruits and vegetables in the world. However, through an extensive trapping program, the continental United States has remained free of established medfly populations. In an effort to effectively attract male flies in C&C traps, panels containing parapheromones, trimedlure or ceralure, were compared for fly catch. This study contrasts the effectiveness of trimedlure and ceralure, the latter of which is an ido-analog of trimedlure, in panels in C&C traps. Field tests in Hawaii using released flies showed that the active ceralure B1 isomer in a commercial mixture of ceralure isomers formulated in panels consistently caught as many male flies as active trimedlure C isomer in a commercial mixture of trimedlure isomers formulated in panels in C&C traps at one-half the molar quantity of trimedlure C.