Attraction of Adult Apple Maggot (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Microbial Isolates

Abstract

Eight bacterial species isolated from apple foliage were evaluated for attractiveness to adult apple maggot flies, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) in the laboratory. None elicited a strong response from the adult apple maggot flies. Another, previously unknown bacterium was isolated internally from the adult fly, from under fresh oviposition sites on field collected fruit, and from the decaying flesh of maggot infested apples. Efforts to identify the bacterium indicated that it is similar to Enterobacter agglomerans , but inconsistencies in biochemical tests and colonial morphology were shown. The bacterium, or volatiles produced by the bacterium, is attractive to foraging apple maggot flies in the orchard environment, and significantly increases fly captures on Ladd apple maggot traps with an apple volatiles attractant.