Number of fruit flies (Diptera: tephritidae) trapped in various combinations of methyl eugenol dosages and trap colors

Abstract

The fruit fly (Diptera: tephritidae) is one of the pests affecting chilies. This pest can cause yield losses that vary between 30% to 100%. An effective and environmentally friendly technique which could be applied to control this pest is the use of methyl eugenol attractant combined with the color of the trap. This research was carried out in Muaro Jambi District and aimed at testing the effectiveness of a combination of several attractant doses of methyl eugenol and color traps on a number of fruit flies trapped in the red chili plantations. This study used a split plot design. Methyl eugenol doses were used as the first factor, consisting of two levels namely 0,5 ml, 1,5 ml., and trap color was used as the second factor, consisting of three levels namely red, yellow, and blue. There were six treatment combinations with 4 replications in total. The result showed that the amount of fruit flies trapped with methyl eugenol at 1.5 ml dose and yellow color are higher than other treatment combinations. However, the attractant dose of methyl eugenol has a stronger effect than the color, this study shows that effective control of fruit flies must involve both elements.