Field parasitism of Ceratitis capitata larvae by Aganaspis daci in Chios, Greece

High parasitism rates were recorded in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in pupae derived from field infested figs, on the Greek island of Chios in 1999 and 2000. Adult parasitoids were identified as Aganaspis daci (Weld) (Hymenoptera:Eucoilidae), previously known as Trybliographa daci (Weld). Approximately 45%of C. capitata pupae yielded adultparasitoid in both years and the totalmortality of pupae due to the parasitoid was62–65%. Development of male A. daci at25°C, reared on 3rd instar larvaeof C. capitata, was shorter than that of the female (34 and 37 days respectively). Average adultmale longevity was 4–5 days longer than female(16–17 to 11–12 days, respectively) and almostidentical in wild and F₁ parasitoids ofboth sexes. We suggest that A. daci maybe an efficient form of biological control ofC. capitata in the Mediterranean regionand probably in other areas.     

Abiotic factors affecting Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) activity as a natural enemy of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) under semi‐natural conditions in the Mediterranean region

The larval–pupal endoparasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is currently the most commonly employed biological control agent against Tephritid fruit flies in the Americas. However, this parasitoid remains largely ignored and is not used in many regions, including the Mediterranean Basin. In this study, the potential of D. longicaudata as a biocontrol agent against the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) was addressed in an area of eastern Spain (the Valencian community). The parasitic activity of parasitoids and the effects of climatic conditions were evaluated throughout a 1‐year period in field‐cage experiments in which parasitoids were confined with apples artificially infested with medfly larvae. The following parameters were calculated and related statistically to several environmental conditions: the parasitism rate, the induced mortality and progeny sex ratio. The results show that D. longicaudata is able to parasitize medfly larvae throughout the year under semi‐natural conditions. Important fluctuations in the parasitism rate (from almost zero to 42%) and the induced mortality (from 6% to 80%) were partially influenced by climatic conditions. The parasitism rate increased with mean temperature and decreased with mean relative humidity, while the induced mortality decreased with minimum relative humidity. The optimal climatic conditions for the activity of the parasitoid were a mean temperature of 16–24°C combined with a relative humidity of 45%–60%. Overall, these results suggest that reduction in the medfly population due to D. longicaudata activity is feasible and provide information about the optimal time period for parasitoid release in the field. In conclusion, D. longicaudata has a significant potential to control C. capitata in the Mediterranean region.     

Leg impairment magnifies reproductive costs in male Mediterranean fruit flies,Ceratitis capitata

Injuries frequently accumulate with age in nature. Despite the commonality of injury and the resulting impairment, there are limited experimental data for the effects of impairment on life history trade‐offs between reproduction and survival in insects. We tested the effects of artificial injury and the resulting impairment on the reproductive costs and behavior of male medflies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Treatment flies were impaired by amputating tarsomere segments 2–5 from the right foreleg at either eclosion or age 22 days. The effect of impairment and age on the cost of reproduction was tested by varying the timing of female availability among the treatments. Courtship behavior and copulation rates were observed hourly from age 2–5 days to determine the effects of impairment on reproductive behavior. Female access combined with the impairment reduced the life expectancy of males more than the impairment alone, whereas the health effect of amputation was influenced by age. Conversely, the risk of death due to impairment was not influenced by the males' mating status prior to amputation. The males' copulation success was reduced due to impairment, whereas courtship behavior was not affected. Impairment does not reduce the males' impulse to mate, but decreases the females' receptivity to copulation, while also increasing the cost of each successful mating. Overall, minor impairment lowers the reproductive success of males and reduces longevity.     

Natural and artificial envenomation of Ceratitis capitata by Eupelmus urozonus and the search for new bioinsecticides

This study was designed to indentify novel bioactive molecules in the venom of the parasitoid Eupelmus urozonus Dalman (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae). Parasitism by E. urozonus induces apparent paralysis in the larvae of the host Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and it arrests the development of host pupae. Parasitoid eggs were transferred from stung to unparasitized host pupae to determine whether adult female stings or bites from the first instars were responsible for the above effects. The two treatments gave the same results, indicating that both parasitoid adults and larvae produced venoms capable to compromise host development. A protocol was developed to artificially microinject E. urozonus venom into healthy host pupae and adults at known concentrations to study the effects. The microinjection of venom was found to produce the same macroscopic result as natural parasitization, indicating that host developmental arrest was caused by molecules produced by the parasitoid venom glands. One‐tenth, one‐twentieth, and one‐hundredth of the contents of a female venom reservoir was sufficient to compromise the development of 100, 90, and 50% of the microinjected host pupae, respectively. The microinjection of 0.1 female venom equivalents into host adults always caused death within 24 h. Extraction and freezing did not affect the activity of the E. urozonus venom, which facilitates its storage, whereas denaturation treatments demonstrated that the bioactive molecules were proteins. The venom was also found to prevent the hosts from decaying for over 2 weeks and it promoted the accumulation of unknown subspherical granules in the host haemocoel. These results suggest the potential identification of novel molecules with interesting biological activity with various possible applications.     

Incompatible insect technique: incompatible males from a Ceratitis capitata genetic sexing strain

Wolbachia are obligatory intracellular and maternally inherited bacteria that infect and spread through natural arthropod populations by inducing male-killing, feminization, parthenogenesis, and, most commonly, unidirectional and bidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Cytoplasmic incompatibility can be used to control natural populations of insect pests, in a way analogous to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), namely through the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT). For the successful application of the IIT (based on a unidirectional CI approach) against a target species, it is essential that only males are released, as the release of females would lead to fertile matings between the released males and the released females and the establishment of a Wolbachia -carrying field population. In the present study, we describe a Wolbachia -infected line of the VIENNA 8 genetic sexing strain of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), that carries the selectable marker temperature sensitive lethal ( tsl ). We show that (1) transferred Wolbachia induce high levels of CI even after the temperature treatment required for the male-only production, and (2) the Wolbachia -infected genetic sexing C. capitata line can be used in cage population suppression experiments analogous to the SIT. We also discuss our results in a comparison between IIT and SIT, investigating whether irradiation and cytoplasmic factors can be combined toward the development of novel strategies for insect pest control.     

Response of Ceratitis capitata to citrus chemicals under semi-natural conditions

Responses of Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) adults to chemicals from citrus fruits were quantified in choice tests conducted in large field cages housing naturally planted orange trees, on the Greek island of Chios. Both sexes responded strongly to chemicals released from artificial cuts made in the pulp of peeled oranges and also to natural or commercial orange juice applied to the surface of yellow 7.0 cm diameter spheres. Males also responded strongly to chemicals released from cuts made in the oily region of the orange peel, or flavedo and less to sour orange and lemon. In contrast, females did not respond to flavedo chemicals. Male response to peel chemicals occurred throughout the day and increased as the number of cuts per fruit increased from 2 to 8. Contact of male mouthparts with sap from cuts, and mating attempts between males on or near the cuts were frequently observed. The males also responded to commercial essential orange oils applied to yellow spheres, but less to essential mandarin oils. The role of citrus chemicals in host finding behaviour of C. capitata and their potential use for the development of effective traps for monitoring and controlling the fly are discussed. The experimental method followed in this study can be used as a standard technique for evaluation of the quality of flies to be used in sterile insect technique programmes.     

Sexual competitiveness of a transgenic sexing strain of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata

The sterile insect technique (SIT), when used for the control of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), generally relies on the release of sterile flies of only the male sex. Male selection is achieved through the use of a genetic sexing strain (GSS) in which females are killed by heat treatment in the generation prior to release. Transgenic sexing strains (TSS) have been developed that perform the same function of female-lethality, this time by withholding tetracycline (or related compounds) from the larval diet. The use of TSS may allow for certain problems associated with conventional GSS, such as strain instability and reduced productivity in mass-rearing, to be avoided. The performance, and principally the sexual competitiveness, of released male flies is important for the success of an SIT control programme. This study describes field cage experiments in which the competitiveness of males from a TSS (OX3376B) was compared with that of a conventional GSS (VIENNA-8) and two wild-type strains (TOLIMAN and ARG). When competing for female mates with wild-type males, OX3376B male performance was acceptable. When OX3376B males competed directly for mates with VIENNA-8 males, VIENNA-8 slightly outperformed the TSS males. Parallel tests, in which wild-type males competed with either OX3376B or VIENNA-8 males, showed that males from both sexing strains were highly competitive with wild-type males. These results suggest that OX3376B in particular, and TSS in general, show sufficiently good mating competitiveness to merit further research into their suitability for eventual use in SIT programmes.     

Spatial patterns of Trybliographa rapae parasitism of Delia radicum larvae in oilseed rape and cauliflower

Trybliographa rapae (Westwood) is an important parasitoid of Delia radicum (L.). Parasitism of D. radicum larvae by T. rapae in relation to host density on canola (oilseed rape) and cauliflower roots was examined at 10 field sites in Germany and Switzerland. For roots with host larvae, the proportion of roots with one or more parasitized hosts increased with increasing host density. However, for these infested roots, the parasitism of individual larvae was not consistently related to host density. When considering only roots on which there were parasitized larvae and the opportunity for multiple attacks, the proportion of larvae that were parasitized decreased with increasing host density in the field locations, and in a cage study under controlled conditions. A model of patch‐finding and number of attacks by female parasitoids suggests that patch‐finding is density‐dependent, but that low attack rate and interference effects limit numbers of attacks to three or less per visit to a host patch; the reduced number of attacks per visit leads to the inverse relationship of larval parasitism with host density in the host patches visited. The interplay of the density‐dependent and inversely density‐dependent processes appears to be responsible for the inconsistency of density dependence of overall larval parasitism in this and previous studies. In the laboratory, adult female T. rapae parasitized hosts at ≤4 cm deep in soil, but not at 6 cm deep. From the depth distribution of larval feeding sites in the field, we infer that between 4% and 20% of Delia larvae may be in a physical refuge from T. rapae parasitism, which may have a stabilizing influence on the host–parasitoid interaction.     

Combined use of the larvo‐pupal parasitoids Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Aganaspis daci for biological control of the medfly

In biological control programmes, it is very common to employ multiple species to manage a single insect pest. However, the beneficial effects of natural enemies are not always additive because of several factors, including interspecific competition between these biocontrol agents. For this reason, in the present study we assessed several biological parameters (percentage parasitism, fertility, induced mortality and population reduction) of the parasitoids Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Aganaspis daci when used together against the medfly Ceratitis capitata under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Our results showed that, under laboratory conditions, fertility and percentage parasitism corresponded to a different functional response for each species (D. longicaudata: type II; A. daci: type III), whilst under greenhouse conditions, and unlike what occurs with single releases, both parasitoids showed a type III functional response; this is the only response which may lead to direct density dependence when host densities are low. Our results also revealed that when both species acted together, they produced a very high total percentage parasitism compared to that reported for single releases under both laboratory (64–76%) and greenhouse (21–51%) conditions. The parasitism was also higher for A. daci except when medfly larvae were provided in an artificial diet. Furthermore, host mortality induced by the two parasitoids acting together was very high, especially at low‐host densities; medfly population was almost completely reduced under greenhouse conditions. In summary, the data reported here supports the combined use of these species in biological control programmes against the medfly and highlights the importance of several factors, such as climatic conditions and host density, when planning their field releases.     

Toxicity of baited spinosad formulations to Ceratitis capitata: from the laboratory to the application

GF‐120, a fruit fly bait designed to attract and kill adult fruit flies, was tested in the laboratory and outdoors to determine effects of pre‐treatment diet and bait aging on mortality of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Two spinosad‐based compounds, GF‐120 and Tracer^® Ultra, had generated two distinctive dose–mortality responds, with LC⁸⁰, LC⁹⁰, and LC⁹⁹ values of 2.4, 2.8, and 4.1 p.p.m., and 255, 479, and 1 143 p.p.m., respectively. The residues of GF‐120 drops, after feeding to the flies, generated 14.3% mortality. The droplet size of the baited spray plays an important role. The toxicity of large drops lasted more than that of small droplets. In the field, exposure to the sun further deteriorates the compound, which lost 50% of its toxicity within 6 days. Disappearance of the compound in the field, due to consumption by various insects, also played a role as 50% of the GF‐120 drops disappeared within 7 days. As mortality was directly related to the amount of insecticide eaten, the effect of GF‐120 depended on the feeding status of the flies: well‐fed flies were almost unaffected compared with starved ones.     

Seasonal trends in Ceratitis capitata reproductive potential derived from live‐caught females in Greece

Reproductive data of individual insects are extremely hard to collect under natural conditions, thus the study of research questions related to oviposition has not advanced. Patterns of oviposition are often inferred only indirectly, through monitoring of host infestation, whereas the influence of age structure and several other factors on oviposition remains unknown. Using a new approach, in this article, we live‐trapped wild Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) females on the Greek island of Chios during two field seasons. For their remaining lifetime, these females were placed individually in small cages and their daily oviposition was monitored. Reproduction rates between cohorts from different collection dates were then compared. The results showed that in the different captive cohorts the average remaining lifetime and reproduction were highly variable within and between seasons. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the month of capture had a significant effect on captive life span, average daily reproduction, and patterns of egg laying. The effect of year was significant on reproduction, but not on captive life span. These differences between sampling periods probably reflect differences in the availability of hosts and other factors that vary during the season and affect age structure and reproduction. Using a non‐parametric generalized additive model, we found a statistically significant correlation between the captive life span and the average daily reproduction. These findings and the experimental approach have several important implications.     

Adh 1 first intron polymorphisms in Argentinean populations of Ceratitis capitata

DNA size polymorphisms were utilized in a study of 24 natural populations of Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Argentina. The first intron of alcohol dehydrogenase 1 gene (Adh₁) was amplified using exon priming intron crossing‐polymerase chain reaction. Three size variants were detected among the 307 samples analyzed. To better differentiate the size variants, further digestion of PCR products with the EcoRI restriction enzyme was carried out. Complete nucleotide sequences of the three‐allele variants were obtained and single changes, insertions, deletions, and EcoRI recognition sites were located. Population allele frequencies were analyzed and a global mean heterozygosity (He) of 0.33 was obtained. In most populations, observed allelic frequencies conformed to Hardy–Weinberg expectations. Significant differences between provinces and sampling sites within these provinces, and among some populations were found. The average number of insects exchanged among populations (Nm) was estimated and high values were observed between Argentina and populations from two African countries (Morocco and Kenya), Australia, and Hawaii (Kauai). Pest introduction sources and dispersion patterns in Argentina are discussed based on these results as well as on available bibliographical data.     

Effects of post-teneral nutrition and ginger root oil exposure on longevity and mortality in bait treatments of sterile male Ceratitis capitata

Area-wide Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programmes against medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), are being increasingly implemented worldwide. A key issue for SIT is to release sterile males that are sufficiently competitive with males from the wild population. Post-teneral nutrition and ginger root oil (GRO) exposure of sterile males prior to release have been shown to improve male competitiveness or performance. However, few studies are available on the effect of post-teneral nutrition and ginger oil exposure on longevity and mortality in bait treatments by sterile male C. capitata . In this study, we found that longevity was increased by the addition of protein to the standard pre-release sugar diet, whereas exposure to GRO did not influence the longevity of sterile males. Mortality in spinosad baits was influenced both by diet and GRO exposure. Sterile males on a protein-deprived diet suffered greater mortality than sterile males fed with both sugar and protein. When sterile males were fed on the protein-deprived diet, GRO exposure increased their mortality. However, no significant differences were found in adults on the sugar-protein diet, whether or not they had been exposed to GRO. These results show, for the first time, a negative effect of GRO exposure in terms of increasing mortality in proteinaceous bait treatments, a common practice in areas where SIT is implemented. Nevertheless, this effect could be reduced by the addition of protein to the standard pre-release diet. The implications of these results for SIT programmes against C. capitata are discussed.     

Life table assay of field-caught Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata, reveals age bias

Though traps are used widely to sample phytophagous insects for research or management purposes, and recently in aging research, possible bias stemming from differential response of individuals of various ages to traps has never been examined. In this paper, we tested the response of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) males and females of four ages (spanning from 1 to 40 days) to McPhail-type traps baited with a synthetic food attractant in field cages and found that the probability of trapping was significantly influenced by age. The type of food on which flies were maintained before testing (sugar or protein) also had a strong effect and interacted with age. In another experiment, we collected wild C. capitata adults of unknown age using 1–3 methods and then reared them in the laboratory until death. The survival schedules of these flies were subsequently used in a life table assay to infer their age at the time of capture. Results showed that on a single sampling date, males captured in traps baited with a food attractant were younger compared with males aspirated from fruiting host trees, or males captured in traps baited with a sex attractant. Likewise, females captured in food-baited traps were younger compared with aspirated females. In addition to providing the first evidence of age-dependent sampling bias for a phytophagous insect species, this paper also provides a novel approach to estimate the differences in the age composition of samples collected with different techniques. These findings are of utmost importance for several categories of insects, medically important groups notwithstanding.     

Field parasitism levels of Ceratitis capitata larvae (Diptera: Tephritidae) by Aganaspis daci on different host fruit species in the coastal region of Tartous,Syria

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a key pest of fruit trees in Syria and is attacked by the larval-pupal parasitoid, Aganaspis daci (Weld) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae). The seasonal population dynamics and distribution of A. daci were studied in surveys of orchards [Citrus reticulatum (clementine), Citrus sinensis (maourdi blood orange), Citrus paradise (grapefruit), C. sinensis (sweet orange), Eriobotrya japonica (loquat), Prunus persica (peach), Prunus domestica (plum), Malus domestica (apple), Figus carica (fig) and Psidium guajava (guava)] at eight locations along the coastal region of Syria, between November 2013 and November 2014. A total of 69.4?kg of infested fruits were sampled, yielding 4274 puparia. From these, 3173 emerged as C. capitata adults, 351 as hymenopteran parasitoids and 750 did not eclose. The parasitoids were identified as A. daci (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) and Psyttalia sp. (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The predominant species was A. daci comprising 348 (99.1%) of the total number of parasitoids collected. Populations of A. daci were present from May 2014 to September 2014, and numbers increased with increasing temperature to peak at 32.05% and 34.01% parasitism in June and August 2014, respectively. Parasitoids were only retrieved from larvae reared from loquat, grapefruit, peach and guava with parasitism levels of 1.68%, 30.76%, 18.28% and 16.15%, respectively. These results are important because they suggest that populations of A. daci have potential to be used for biological control in integrated pest management programmes for C. capitata in the coastal region of Syria.     

Performance of controlled-release formulations of trimedlure to attract the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata

Mediterranean fruit flies (Ceratitis capitata Wied.) are detected by traps baited with the attractant, trimedlure (TML), deposited on the standard cotton dental roll dispenser. Since this dispenser is effective for only 2–4 weeks, controlled-release dispensers may extend the field life of TML-baited traps. A polymeric plug containing 70% by weight TML was highly effective for 8–12 weeks. Other formulations were less effective in the tests with released flies. A release rate of ca. 17 mg of standard TML/day or higher gave insect captures which were generally lower but statistically equivalent to those with the reference dispenser which released 61–63 mg/day. Normalized insect catches increased approximately as the square root of the release rate; the curvilinear regression equation suggested that TML release rates of ca. 52 and 15 mg/day give insect captures equal to ca. 100% and 50%, respectively, of the reference catches. The most attractive TML isomer (TML-C) was a highly effective attractant at a release rate of ca. 4 mg/day.

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Résumé C. capitata était attiré par des pièges alimentés avec de la trimedlure (TML), attractif déposé sur un distributeur commercial de coton dentaire en rouleau. Puisque ce distributeur ne fonctionne que 2 à 4 semaines, des distributeurs à libération contrôlée peuvent augmenter le temps de fonctionnement de pièges fournis en TML. Un bouchon en polymère contenant en poids 70% de TML a été très efficace pendant 8 à 12 semaines. D'autres formules ont été moins efficaces avec des mouches lâchées. Un taux de libération, de 17 mg ou plus de TML moyen par jour, capture moins, mais sans différence statistique significative, qu'un distributeur témoin qui libérait 61 à 63 mg/j. Les captures d'insectes ont augmenté à peu près comme le carré du taux de libération; l'équation de régression curviligne a conduit à penser que la libération de TML à des taux de 52 et 15 mg/j, provoque des captures égales à 100% et 50% des captures de référence. L'isomère le plus attractif (TML-C) a été un attractif très efficace au taux de libération de 4 mg/j.

     

Heat shock proteins and thermotolerance in a cultured cell line from the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

Heat shock proteins (hsps) were identified in a cell line from the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) exposed to elevated temperatures. Cells produced three hsps (Mr 87,000, 69,000, and 34,000) in response to a temperature shift from 26 degrees C to 37 degrees C (30-60 min) with a concomitant decrease in synthesis of most other cellular proteins. Synthesis of low Mr hsps was not evident. The heat shock response is triggered within 30 min at temperatures from 33 degrees C to 41 degrees C. At temperatures greater than 41 degrees C protein synthesis was shut down. Within 2-3 h after return to 26 degrees C, synthesis of proteins repressed at the higher temperatures resumed production while the major hsps disappear. Heat shock proteins were not produced in the presence of actinomycin D. Evaluations on the role of hsps in conferring thermotolerance to the cells showed an increase in cell viability in heat-shocked cells over non-heat-shocked cells (after 3 and 10 days) when subsequently placed at 45 degrees C for 1 h, a normally lethal temperature. Heat shock alone had little effect on subsequent cell viability or growth at 26 degrees C. These results suggest that hsps produced by these cells may aid in the maintenance of cell integrity and thus play a transitory role in thermotolerance.     

Effect of food deprivation on attractiveness of food sources, containing natural and artificial sugar and protein, to three African fruit flies: Ceratitis cosyra, Ceratitis fasciventris, and Ceratitis capitata

The effects of food deprivation, age, and mating status on the responses of three fruit fly species, Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), Ceratitits fasciventris (Bezzi), and Ceratitits capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) to natural and artificial sugar and protein food sources were investigated. Natural food sources included guava [Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae)] juice (a common host fruit for all three fruit fly species) and bird faeces (farm chicken). Artificial food sources included molasses (obtained from a local sugar factory) and a locally produced protein bait (the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology yeast). In all species studied, sugar deprivation of immature (1–2‐day‐old) male and female flies increased their response to food odours, although it did not change their preference for the type of odour (protein or sugar). Protein deprivation of mature (14–17‐day‐old) male and female flies also increased their response to food odours compared to protein‐fed flies. Protein‐deprived females were highly attracted to odours from protein sources in particular. Odours from natural food sources, guava juice, and chicken faeces, were more attractive to food‐deprived flies than were odours from artificial sugar and protein sources. Attraction to food odours increased significantly with increasing age for protein‐deprived females of all species. For males and females of all species, nutritional state was a more important factor than mating status in influencing responses of flies to food odours. Practical implications of these findings are discussed in terms of strategies for fruit fly control using food baits.     

Sexual competitiveness of sterile Ceratitis capitata males exposed to essential oils from non-host plant species native to Argentina

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is used to control fruit fly pests, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Enhancing sexual competitiveness of mass-reared sterile males can contribute to making this technique more effective. It has been shown that exposure to volatiles from essential oils (EOs), such as ginger root oil (GRO) and those from host fruits, increases male mating success. We evaluated the effect of EOs from non-host species native to Argentina, Schinus polygama (Cav.) Cabrera (Anacardiaceae) and Baccharis spartioides (Hook. & Arn.) Remy (Asteraceae), on the sexual competitiveness of sterile C. capitata males. In field cage experiments, sterile males exposed to S. polygama EO increased their mating success. In addition, sterile males exposed to this EO achieved more matings on trees than non-exposed males, thus suggesting the former are more prone to locate and defend the pheromone-calling territory. Deprivation of water and/or food significantly reduced males' life span, but exposure to S. polygama EO and GRO did not affect their survival. Schinus polygama EO is composed of mono- and sesquiterpenes with behavioral and electroantennographic responses in medflies, indicating that semiochemicals that boost medfly sexual competitiveness combine in this EO.