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Key to the effectiveness of fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) suppression efforts using insecticidal bait sprays is the determination of how long the bait remains attractive to adult flies after application. Using a comparative approach, field studies were conducted in commercial papaya (Carica papaya L.; Brassicales: Caricaceae) orchards in Hawaii with the goal of quantifying the response of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) wild females to yellow bait stations treated with 2 dilutions (40% and 20%) of GF-120 NF Naturalyte™ Fruit Fly Bait that had been aged either outdoors (for 3 and 7 days) or indoors (for 1, 2, 3, and 7 days). Important variations in the level of female response to the baits were documented between these 2 fruit fly species, and the response levels were modulated by bait dilution, duration of aging and aging conditions. For B. dorsalis wild females, the attractiveness of 40% GF-120 and aged outdoors for either, 3 or 7 days did not differ significantly from the fresh bait, whereas for B. cucurbitae wild females a significant reduction (48 %) in bait attractiveness was recorded within 1 day of aging indoors independent of percent dilution of the bait. Environmental conditions, in particular mean temperature and relative humidity, prevailing during bait aging outdoors differed significantly from those recorded indoors, and these differences appeared to have influenced the attractiveness of GF-120. The types of variations in the level of responses to the aged baits documented in this study between fruit fly species within a genus, and potentially across genera need to be considered when developing suppression programs for fruit flies that involve the use of bait sprays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study demonstrating the efficacy of rain fast bait station over foliar sprays in reducing the population of female oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. It is stated that the incidence of infestation in papaya orchards was also studied which demonstrates the reduction in the rate of infestation to 45.4 percent in 12 weeks. It further states that the use of bait stations is far more economical and safer than foliar sprays.

Methyl eugenol (ME) and cue-lure (C-L) traps with solid lure dispensers were deployed in areas with low and high populations of oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), and melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett),respectively. In low-density areas, standard Jackson traps or Hawaii Fruit Fly Areawide Pest Management (AWPM) traps with FT Mallet ME wafers impregnated with dimethyl dichloro-vinyl phosphate (DDVP) or AWPM traps with Scentry ME cones and vapor tape performed equally as well as standard Jackson traps with liquid ME/C-L and naled. Standard Jackson traps or AWPM traps with FT Mallet C-L wafers impregnated with DDVP or AWPM traps with Scentry C-L plugs with vapor tape performed equally as well as standard Jackson traps with a lure-naled solution. In high density areas, captures with traps containing FT Mallet wafers (ME and C-L) outperformed AWPM traps with Scentry cones and plugs (ME and C-L) with DDVP insecticidal strips over a 6-mo period. Captures of B. dorsalis and B. cucurbitae with wafers containing both ME and raspberry ketone (FT Mallet MC) were equivalent to those containing separate lures. From a worker safety and convenience standpoint, FT Mallet ME and C-L wafers with DDVP or Scentry plugs, with or without DDVP vapor tape, are more convenient and safer to handle than standard liquid insecticide formulations used for monitoring and male annihilation programs in Hawaii, and for detections traps used on the U.S. mainland. Furthermore, the FT Mallet MC wafer might be used in a single trap in place of two separate traps for detection of both ME and C-L responding fruit flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 in Hawaii, USA to quantify attraction and feeding responses resulting in mortality of the male oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to a novel male annihilation treatment (MAT) formulation consisting of specialized pheromone and lure application technology (SPLAT) in combination with methyl eugenol (ME) and spinosad (=SPLAT-MAT-ME with spinosad) in comparison with Min-U-Gel-ME with naled (Dibrom). Our approach involved a novel behavioral methodology for evaluation of slow-acting reduced-risk insecticides. Methyl eugenol treatments were weathered for 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks in California, USA, and shipped to Hawaii for bioassays. In field tests involving bucket traps to attract and capture wild males, and in toxicity studies conducted in 1 m3 cages using released males of controlled ages, SPLAT-MAT-ME with spinosad performed similar to or outperformed the standard formulation of Min-U-Gel-ME with naled for material aged for up to 8 weeks in the 2008 tests. In laboratory feeding tests in which individual males were exposed for 5 min to the different ME treatments, mortality induced by SPLAT-MAT-ME with spinosad recorded at 24 h did not differ from that caused by Min-U-Gel ME with naled at 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Spinosad has low contact toxicity, and when mixed with SPLAT offers a reduced-risk alternative for control of B. dorsalis, without many of the negative effects to humans and non-targets of broad-spectrum contact poisons such as naled. Our results indicate that SPLAT-MAT-ME with spinosad offers potential for control of males in an area-wide integrated pest management (IPM) system without the need for conventional organophosphates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait in combination with field sanitation was assessed as a control for female oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in papaya (Carica papaya L.) orchards in Hawaii. Three different bait spray regimes were evaluated: every row (high use of the bait), every fifth row (moderate use), and every 10th row (low use). Orchard plots in which no bait was applied served as controls. For five of the seven biweekly periods that followed the first bait spray, trapping data revealed significantly fewer female B. dorsalis captured in plots subject to high and moderate bait use than in control plots. Differences in incidence of infestation among treatments were detected only by the third (12 wk after first spray) fruit sampling with significantly fewer infested one-fourth to one-half ripe papaya fruit in plots subject to high and moderate bait use than in control plots. Parasitism rates by Fopius arisanu.s (Sonan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were not negatively affected by bait application. Results indicate that foliar applications of GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait either to all rows (every other tree),or to every fifth row (every tree) in combination with good sanitation can effectively reduce infestation by B. dorsalis in papaya orchards in Hawaii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a series of studies conducted in Hawaii under seminatural conditions, we quantified the response of sexually mature, host-seeking female melon flies, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to different types of visual and chemical host-associated stimuli with the main aim of developing a monitoring device for females. Experiments were conducted using Tangletrap-coated fruit mimics of either spherical (8 cm diameter) or cylindrical (4.3 cm diameter; 15 cm length) shapes coated with different artificial color pigments both at the ground level and at the tree-canopy level so as to take into account the foraging behavior of adult melon flies. Females were particularly attracted to objects of spherical shape colored either yellow, white, or orange; these three pigments offered the highest reflectance values. Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) (Cucurbitaceae) odor was more attractive to females than odors of three other cultivated host fruit [zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L. var. medullosa Alef. (Cucurbitaceae); papaya, Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae); or tomato Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanaceae)] or of ivy gourd [ Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae)], one of the major wild hosts of melon fly in Hawaii. A combination of both visual and olfactory stimuli was needed to elicit high levels of response compared to each stimulus offered alone. We discuss our results in relation to the potential implementation of improved female monitoring and/or attract-and-kill strategies for melon flies in Hawaii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foraging behavior of wild female melon fly, Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) cucurbitae Coquillett, a worldwide pest of economically important cucurbit crops, was examined through mark and recapture studies in both wild (Kona: dominated by the invasive weed ivy gourd, Coccinea grandis [L.] Voigt [Cucurbitaceae]), and cultivated (Kapoho: dominated by papaya, Carica papaya L. [Caricaceae] orchards) habitats on Hawaii Island. In particular, the extent to which wild melon flies and color-marked F2 females responded to cucumber odor and Solulys yeast hydrolysate laced with ammonium acetate (1%, wt/vol) according to sexual maturity stage and degree of protein hunger was documented. Kona results indicated that more wild and color-marked F2 females responded to cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. [Cucurbitaceae]) odor than to protein odor with the exception of captured wild flies without eggs, which responded similarly to protein bait and cucumber odor. Results with captured wild females and color-marked F2 females in Kapoho suggested a significant preference for cucumber odor over protein odor regardless of whether or not they had eggs in their ovaries with the exception of protein-deprived color-marked F2 females, which responded to both odors in equal numbers. Implications of these new findings based on wild melon flies in natural habitats are discussed with respect to integrated pest management control strategies with protein bait sprays used in Hawaii. The possibility of adding cucurbit volatiles to protein-based baits is discussed.

The effectiveness of foliar applications of protein baits against pestiferous fruit flies (Tephritidae) can be adversely affected by a rapid loss of attractive volatile compounds and by rainfall due to the high water solubility of the baits. In a large coffee, Coffea arabica L., plantation in Hawaii with high and low populations of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), the relative attractiveness of GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait as either a 40% (vol:vol) spray solution (= GF-120 NF) or as a formulated proprietary amorphous polymer matrix (= GF-120 APM) was compared. The GF-120 APM formulations contained either, 25, 50, or 75% of GF-120 NF (wt:wt). All baits were tested in association with visually attractive yellow bait stations as a way of standardizing the evaluations. With both high and low C. capitata populations, significantly more females were attracted to the fresh sprayed GF-120 NF than to any of the three fresh GF-120 APM formulations. The attractiveness of GF-120 sprayed decreased significantly after 1 wk, whereas 1-wk-old GF-120 APM formulations were as attractive as similar fresh formulations. GF-120 APM 75% aged for 3 wk outperformed similarly-aged sprayed GF-120 NF with comparatively high C. capitata populations. With low populations, both GF-120 APM 75% and GF-120 APM 50% aged for 2 wk outperformed the similarly aged sprayed GF-120 NF. Combined findings indicate that APM mixed with either 50 or 75% GF-120 applied to bait stations can be attractive to female C. capitata for up to 3 wk longer than the standard sprayed GF-120 NF.

The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service initiated an area-wide fruit fly management program in Hawaii in 2000. The first demonstration site was established in Kamuela, Hawaii, USA. This paper documents suppression of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in a 40 km2 area containing urban, rural and agricultural zones during a 6 year period. The suppression techniques included sanitation, GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait sprays, male annihilation, Biolure traps, and parasitoids against C. capitata and B. dorsalis. In addition, small numbers of sterile males were released against B. dorsalis. Substantial reductions in fruit infestation levels were achieved for both species (90.7 and 60.7% for C. capitata and B. dorsalis, respectively) throughout the treatment period. Fruit fly captures in the 40 km2 treatment area were significantly lower during the 6 year period than those recorded in three non-treated areas. The strategy of combining suppression techniques in an area-wide approach is discussed.

Worldwide, an important aspect of invasive insect pest management is more effective, safer detection and control systems. Phenyl propanoids are attractive to numerous species of Dacinae fruit flies. Methyl eugenol (ME) (4-allyl-1, 2-dimethoxybenzene-carboxylate), cue-lure (C-L) (4-(p-acetoxyphenyl)-2-butanone), and raspberry ketone (RK) (4-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone) are powerful male-specific lures. Most evidence suggests a role of ME and C-L/RK in pheromone synthesis and mate attraction. ME and C-L/RK are used in current fruit fly programs for detection, monitoring, and control. During the Hawaii Area-Wide Pest Management Program in the interest of worker safety and convenience, liquid C-L/ME and insecticide (i.e., naled and malathion) mixtures were replaced with solid lures and insecticides. Similarly, Male Annihilation Technique (MAT) with a sprayable Specialized Pheromone and Lure Application Technology (SPLAT), in combination with ME (against Bactrocera dorsalis, oriental fruit fly) or C-L/RK (against B. cucurbitae, melon fly), and the reduced-risk insecticide, spinosad, was developed for area-wide suppression of fruit flies. The nontarget effects of ME and C-L/RK to native invertebrates were examined. Although weak attractiveness was recorded to flower-visiting insects, including bees and syrphid flies, by ME, effects to native Drosophila and other Hawaiian endemics were found to be minimal. These results suggested that the majority of previously published records, including those of endemic Drosophilidae, were actually for attraction to dead flies inside fruit fly traps. Endemic insect attraction was not an issue with C-L/RK, because B. cucurbitae were rarely found in endemic environments., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)