Behavioural responses of female Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, to mineral oil deposits |
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Authors: | V. L. Nguyen,A. Meats ,G. A. C. Beattie,R. Spooner-Hart,Z. M. Liu,& L. Jiang |
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Affiliation: | Centre for Plant and Food Science, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, South Penrith Distribution Centre, NSW 1797, Australia;;National Institute for Plant Protection, Chem Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam;;School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;;SBC Asia Pacific Pty Ltd, 20 McDougall Ave, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153, Australia;;Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, PMB 8, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia |
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Abstract: | Behavioural responses of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), females to fruit dipped in water and fruit dipped in 0.5% (vol/vol) aqueous emulsions of a mineral oil were determined and analysed. The mineral oil was an nC20–22 distillation fraction of the base oil used to produce an nC23 horticultural mineral oil. Females caged with oil‐treated fruit had significantly longer prelanding intervals than females caged with water‐dipped fruit. The latter was attacked immediately or shortly after being caged with flies whereas some oil‐dipped fruit was not attacked within 180 min. The percentage of landings that led to oviposition on water‐ and oil‐treated fruit were 58 and 13%, respectively, and the percentages ovipositing after probing were 74 and 25%, respectively. Likewise, average times spent probing were 7 vs. 31 s whereas average times spent ovipositing were 321 vs. 223 s. Females spent less than half as much time on oil‐treated fruit than on water‐treated fruit. Transition probabilities of rejection, when applied to the behaviour sequence indicated that oil‐treated fruits are about nine times less likely to be infested with B. tryoni. |
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Keywords: | petroleum spray oils horticultural oils green leaf volatiles mimicry repellency Diptera Tephritidae |
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