Use of Locally Food Attractants for Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

The high price of commercial products against pests impose small farmers to use a locally available baits against C.capitata that is the most fruit fly in our country. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of food-based attractants for the capture of C. capitata as well as their selectivity on the populations of beneficial arthropods. we tested some local fermentation products compared to commercial lures (CeraTrap®). Four attractants were evaluated in two peach orchads. Field evaluations show that local fermentation products, particularly the red wine solution outperformed other food-based attractants. However, the average of fruit damage was differed between the four attractants and it was high in the border than in the center of each attractants plot. These attractants also were selective, capturing few beneficial arthropods. It will be necessary to focus our research on how to optimally employ such a trap in conjunction or alternative with other control techniques to drive concerted and integrated pest management due to its low environmental impacts and selectivity toward beneficial insects.