Mediterranean fruit fly (Dipt., Tephritidae) suppression in persimmon through bait sprays in adjacent coffee plantings*

Abstract

Abstract: Oriental persimmon, Diospyros kaki L., in Upper Kula on the island of Maui (Hawaii) is attacked by the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Recent suppression trials using mass trapping with a synthetic food‐based bait, initiated in alternate host crops before the start of persimmon season, had shown promise as a means of reducing C. capitata population levels. However, this did not adequately suppress C. capitata population where there were adjacent plantings of coffee, Coffea arabica L., a favoured alternate host, which bears fruits before and during the persimmon season. To improve C. capitata population suppression, we applied a spinosad‐based bait spray to coffee plants, starting before persimmon fruits became susceptible to oviposition by the Mediterranean fruit fly. The bait spray suppressed the C. capitata population and led to reduced infestation of both coffee cherries and persimmon fruits. Percentage parasitization of C. capitata in coffee cherries by established biological control agents, primarily Fopius arisanus (Sonan), was not significantly different in unsprayed vs. sprayed plots even after 11 weekly sprays. These results suggest that mass trapping, combined with spinosad‐based bait sprays, are control components that are compatible with biological control and can be combined in an integrated pest management system for C. capitata.