Capture of Anastrepha suspensa and Sterile Male Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Multilure Traps Versus Phase 4 Traps

Abstract

Field trials were conducted in south Florida to compare capture of wild Caribbean fruit flies, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), and sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), in Multilure traps, which are McPhail-type traps that use an aqueous solution to retain attracted flies, and Phase 4 traps, which are open-bottom dry traps that use a sticky insert to retain attracted flies. One study was conducted in a guava orchard and compared capture of A. suspensa in both trap types baited with ammonium acetate plus putrescine alone (two-component BioLure) or in combination with trimethylamine (three-component BioLure). A second study compared captures of A. suspensa and sterile male C. capitata in traps baited with three-component BioLure in an urban area near the end of the eradication program for a C. capitata outbreak. In both studies, captures were higher in the Multilure traps than the Phase 4 traps baited with the same lure, with catches ranging from 5:1 for sterile C. capitata, and 10:1 to 100:1 for wild A. suspensa. Large scale area-wide deployment of fruit fly detection traps is costly in both materials and in the time and effort required in routine servicing. Although a simpler and cheaper trap such as the Phase 4 trap would be a welcome relief to any large scale area-wide detection programs, it must perform effectively. This is the first report of tests of fruit fly capture in Phase 4 traps conducted under of south Florida conditions.

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