Box thorn, key early season host of the Mediterranean fruit fly

Abstract

Abstract In the Mediterranean region, from November to early June, Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann) populations decrease drastically and in some places disappear. For area‐wide control or eradication programmes, it is important to know on which wild hosts a medfly population can establish itself and subsequently cause later in the season important losses in commercial crops. Trapping of medfly in a box thorn (Lycium europaeum L.) hedge of the oasis of Tozeur, Tunisia, indicates that despite this plant being largely neglected by medfly later in the year, it is a principal early‐spring host of the pest. Fruit infestation rate in May was c. 292 pupae/kg of fresh fruits and an average of two larvae per infested fruit. The trap capture rate was c. 26 flies/trap/h. The importance of this non‐commercial key‐host in the development and distribution of medfly population during the early season when no other host is available is discussed. The diurnal bimodal flight activity rhythm o...