Abstract
The Caribbean fruit fly (CFF), Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), and the Mediterranean fruit fly (MFF), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), are major tephritid pests that attack a wide range of tropical and subtropical plants. The potential for establishment of these fruit fly species in major U.S. fruitproducing areas (i.e., California, Florida and Texas) has demanded the need for the development of effective reducedrisk pest management tactics to control these flies without the use of broad-spectrum toxic insecticide sprays. In laboratory studies, we evaluated the use of toxic bait stations for control of A. suspensa and C. capitata. Flies were exposed to five treatments in no-choice tests and evaluated at 2, 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Treatments included: 1) a new sphere design treated with 1% Spinosad, 2) an old sphere design treated with 1% Spinosad, 3) old sphere design treated with 2% imidacloprid, 4) an untreated new sphere design (control), 5) an untreated old sphere design (control). Experimental design was completely randomized block with 6 and 5 replicates for CFF and MFF, respectively. During the first 24 hours, the only treatment that significantly reduced the survival A. suspensa below the control was the old sphere design with 2% imidacloprid. However, at 48 and 72 hours, respectively, significantly more A. suspensa survived in both controls compared with other treatments. There were no significant differences at 48 and 72 hours between any of the insecticide-treated spheres. Similar results were recorded for C. capitata. The results indicate the potential for using our new sphere design treated with 1% Spinosad for controlling A. suspensa and C. capitata.
