Which artificial larval diet is better for Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) rearing?

Abstract

BackgroundThere is an increasing demand for biological agents for integrated pest management programs, requiring a constant supply of insects in terms of quantity and quality. In this context, the development of insect-rearing methods and quality control parameters are essential in order to provide best-quality and economic viability products. The medfly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most economically important species of fruit flies in several fruit-producing areas of Brazil, being massively reared in many countries for Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs. To achieve mass production scale, suitable larval diets are necessary for medfly rearing at laboratory conditions. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the best artificial larval diet and the respective larval density for C. capitata on diets based on corn flour (CF), sugarcane bagasse (SB), and lyophilized carrot powder (CP), considering biological parameters of quality control and economic viability.ResultsBased on the obtained results and although all diets produced quality pupae according to FAO/IAEA/USDA standards, the SB artificial diet promoted better results in the number of larvae, larval weight, number of pupae, and pupal weight, in comparison with CF and CP diets, as well as being the most economically viable. The optimal larval densities on CF, SB, and CP diets were, respectively, 0.5, 2.0, and 1.0 mL of eggs/kg of diet.ConclusionsThe diet that was most suitable for insect yield and economic viability was the SB diet, followed by the CF and CP diets, in this order.