Melon Fly Research Articles

Efficacy of Heterorhabditis indica Derived from three hosts

The efficacy in terms of virulence and longevity of the entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis indica produced from three hosts-Galleria mellonella, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata and Bactrocera cucurbitae was evaluated in this study. Application of H. indica progenies to the fourth instar grubs of H. vigintioctopunctata showed that progenies from G. mellonella showed maximum efficacy with respect to virulence and longevity; it was followed by H. vigintioctopunctata and B. cucurbitae. Virulence in terms of pathogenicity and mortality and longevity (number of days of survival) were observed to be directly influenced by size of the hosts, and larger parents were able to produce more efficient H. indica offspring.

Effect of gibberellic acid on the biology of melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquilett

The melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillet causes damage to many fruits, vegetables, oilseeds and ornamental plants. In this study, various doses of gibberellic (GA3) has been evaluated for its effect on the biology of B. cucurbitae. The results revealed that the adult emergence reduced to a minimum (47.81%) at 1000 ppm but gradually increased with the decrease in dose. Similarly, the oviposition period was to a maximum of 28.3 days at 10 ppm which gradually decreased to 10.8 days with 1000 ppm. A maximum of 522 egg/female was observed with 10 ppm which gradually decreased with increase in dose, and was at minimum (66 eggs/female) at 1000 ppm. The least of the incubation period was 17.93 hr at 10 ppm which gradually increased with dose to a maximum of 28.8 hr at 1000 ppm. The longevity of male (22.3 days) and female (27.6 days) was the least at 1000 ppm, and it increased with the decrease in dose-to 39.0 days at 10 ppm for females.

Purified winged bean protease inhibitor affects the growth of Bactrocera cucurbitae.

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious agricultural pest which has defied the various control measures employed against it. Protease inhibitors present in plants which have the potential to inhibit the growth and development of associated insect pests can be a possible alternative which can be manipulated for developing resistance in plants to the pest. In the present study, winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) protease inhibitor isolated through affinity chromatography was explored for its potential to disrupt the development of melon fruit fly, B. cucurbitae. Different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 µg ml-1) of the winged bean protease inhibitor (WBPI) were incorporated into the artificial diet of the second instar (64-72 h old) larvae of B. cucurbitae. The WBPI significantly delayed the larval, pupal, and total development period. The percentage pupation and adult emergence of the treated larvae was reduced as compared with control. The activities of major digestive enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin, leucine aminopeptidase, and elastase) decreased significantly in the larvae treated with different concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 400 µg ml-1) of WBPI. The findings reveal that the inhibitor holds considerable promise for the management of the melon fruit fly.

Compensation écologique et agriculture : est-ce compatible ?

Les mesures compensatoires des atteintes à la biodiversité (MC) sont des actions assurant des gains écologiques au moins équivalents aux pertes subies à la suite d’un projet d’aménagement. La loi Biodiversité d’août 2016 rend plus coercitif le cadre des MC. Alors que 59,5 % du territoire français est dédié aux pratiques agricoles, les agriculteurs devraient devenir des acteurs majeurs de la compensation écologique. Nous analysons par le biais d’une expérience de choix les préférences des agriculteurs pour devenir opérateurs de MC. Nous montrons que les exigences des contrats de MC ne conduiront pas à une adhésion systématique des agriculteurs. Nous suggérons des orientations de contrats par profil d’agriculteurs et par type d’impacts à compenser. Classification JEL : Q15, Q24, Q57.

Response Mechanism of Oviposition and Relevant Protein Expression of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillet) to Short-Term High-Temperature Conditions.

Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an important pest of vegetables in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Hawaii. High temperature can significantly influence B. cucurbitae reproduction. The effect of short-term high-temperature exposure on proteins that affect oviposition was analyzed by proteomics. Among six key target genes for oviposition, the expression of Vitellogenin-1, Vitellogenin-2, and Vitellogenin receptor was similar in B. cucurbitae exposed to higher temperature compared to controls. However, levels of Vitellogenin-3 were reduced. Juvenile hormone (Jh)-inducible protein was downregulated and then upregulated, while the expression of Jh-epoxide hydrolase-2 showed the opposite Jh-inducible protein trend. Therefore, short-term high-temperature stress can cause differential expression of proteins related to oviposition in B. cucurbitae, which in turn further triggers the hormesis of oviposition. High-temperature conditions have become more frequent because of climate warming and are predicted to continue. The data indicate that climate effects on insect reproduction pose a significant threat to agriculture in a world of increasing population.

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Raspberry ketone-supplemented diet has no effect on fitness parameters or lure responsiveness in male melon flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract The male annihilation technique (MAT) and sterile insect technique (SIT) are often used to control pestiferous tephritid fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). MAT involves the deployment of traps containing a male attractant and insecticide with the goal of drastically reducing male abundance and ultimately eliminating the entire population. SIT, which involves the mass production, sterilization, and release of the target species, may also be implemented to achieve final extirpation. Generally, simultaneous implementation of MAT and SIT is counterproductive, because the presence of large numbers of male-specific traps in the environment (MAT) would greatly reduce the number of sterile males available for copulating with wild females (SIT). However, studies on the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), indicate that concurrent use of MAT and SIT may be feasible. Sexually mature males of B. tryoni are attracted to the raspberry ketone and its synthetic analogue cue-lure. Males of B. tryoni fed raspberry-ketone-supplemented diet when newly emerged showed lower attraction to cue-lure baited traps than control males. In addition, newly emerged males provided this diet displayed accelerated sexual maturation, which would allow the early release of sterile males and reduce pre-release holding costs. Here, we examined whether the addition of raspberry ketone to the adult diet of male melon flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), produced effects similar to those observed for B. tryoni. Despite using similar methods, no significant effect of raspberry ketone-supplemented diet on time to sexual maturity, survival, mating competitiveness, or attraction to cue-lure baited traps in mass-reared Z. cucurbitae males.

New associations and host status: Infestability of kiwifruit by the fruit fly species Bactrocera dorsalis, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, and Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

We conducted no-choice cage and field infestation studies to determine if the fruit of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, ‘Hayward’ [green-fleshed], and Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis, ‘Zesy002’ [gold-fleshed]) are hosts for three invasive tephritid fruit fly species that may enter New Zealand or other kiwifruit growing areas. For cage studies, punctured and unpunctured (intact) fruits of green and gold kiwifruit were exposed to gravid female flies of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Oriental fruit fly), Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillet) (melon fly), or Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Mediterranean fruit fly), in screen cages outdoors for 24 h, and then held on sand in the laboratory for three weeks for pupal development and adult emergence. Unpunctured green kiwifruit produced an average of 1.3, 0.0 and 48.8 puparia per kg of fruit for B. dorsalis, Z. cucurbitae and C. capitata, respectively. Unpunctured gold kiwifruit produced an average of 54.7, 6.1 and 0.0 puparia per kg of fruit for B. dorsalis, Z. cucurbitae and C. capitata, respectively. For comparison, unpunctured papaya, a preferred host for all three species, produced 492–795 puparia per kg of fruit across all species. These results indicate that kiwifruit is a poor ovipositional host for B. dorsalis, Z. cucurbitae and C. capitata. When kiwifruit were punctured to facilitate oviposition, the number of puparia per kg fruit increased significantly compared with those on unpunctured fruit for B. dorsalis, but not for Z. cucurbitae or C. capitata, indicating that kiwifruit is a poor developmental host for these two species. For all fruit fly species, the average weight of individual puparia recovered from green and gold kiwifruit was roughly 50% of the weight of puparia recovered from papaya. Field infestation of kiwifruit suspended from papaya trees resulted in no infestation of green kiwifruit and very low infestation of gold kiwifruit by B. dorsalis, and no infestation in either cultivar by Z. cucurbitae under natural conditions. Overall, kiwifruit is a poor host for B. dorsalis, Z. cucurbitae and C. capitata. This information will help inform decisions about quarantine restrictions and potential crop loss in the event of incursions of these fruit flies into New Zealand or other kiwifruit producing countries.

Characterization of culturable gut bacterial isolates from wild population of melon fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) and assessing their attractancy potential for sustainable pest management

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) poses a serious threat to cucurbit production worldwide. Its management by conventional means remains difficult due to their proclivity to oviposite in fruit. In view of the increasing environmental safety concerns, use of biocontrol agents for sustainable pest control holds immense potential. Given this, the study intended to identify the cultivable bacteria inhabiting the intestinal tract of adult male and female melon fruit flies (Bactrocera cucurbitae) separately from field-collected population, and to assess the attractiveness of these bacteria to the fly. All selected bacterial isolates were identified and characterized based on morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence. Bacterial community identified in the gut of B. cucurbitae predominantly composed of Enterobacteriaceae followed by Staphylococcaceae, Enterococcaceae, Bacillaceae and Brucellaceae. Further, the laboratory bioassay was employed to examine the attractiveness of the supernatant as well as whole culture broth of 10 different species of bacteria to B. cucurbitae adults. Among these, Klebsiella oxytoca and Citrobacter freundii followed by Bacillus cereus were found highly attractive to fruit flies. The field experiment using supernatant of two bacteria demonstrated that the K. oxytoca was significantly more attractive to female flies followed by C. freundii.

Composition, Host Range and Host Suitability of Vegetable-Infesting Tephritids on Cucurbits Cultivated in Kenya

Damage incidence and interactions between native and invasive vegetable-infesting fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) on high-value crops have rarely been studied, despite their threats to the horticultural industries in Africa and quarantine implications.We established the composition and host range of tephritid flies in the field and carried out comparative host suitability studies of major fruit flies: Dacus bivittatus (Bigot), Dacus ciliatus Loew and Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillet) on watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)], cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), courgette (Cucurbita pepo L.) and butternut (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne) in the laboratory. Five new host species were recorded. Zeugodacus cucurbitae was the most destructive fruit fly, infesting 17 hosts from five families, followed by D. ciliatus and D. bivittatus. Direct field damage inflicted on immature to mature crops on the plants ranged from 2.1%on eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) to 66.8%on bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.). The most preferred hosts of Z. cucurbitae were bitter gourd, watermelon and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) (16.2, 13.3 and 12.1 flies/kg fruit, respectively). Mango (Mangifera indica L.) (24.1 flies/kg fruit) and guava (Psidium guajava L.) (14.7 flies/kg fruit) were recorded for the first time as hosts of D. ciliatus. The relative abundance index showed high variation among host species, suggesting a differential use of these hosts by the different fruit fly species. Choice versus no-choice experiments revealed a significant variation in pupal recovery, pupal size, adult emergence, percentage females, adult wing deformity and body size. These results are significant for the decision-making process for effective monitoring and management of fruit fly species on cucurbitaceous vegetable crops.

Cucumber and Tomato Volatiles: Influence on Attraction in the Melon Fly Zeugodacus cucurbitate (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The main hosts of the melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitate are cultivated and wild cucurbitaceous plants. In eastern Africa, the melon fly is a major pest of the Solanaceae plant Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). We hypothesized that shared species-specific volatiles may play a role in host attraction. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the olfactory responses of the melon fly to Cucumis sativus (cucumber) (Cucurbitaceae) and tomato plant odors in behavioral and electrophysiological assays, followed by chemical analysis to identify the key compounds mediating the interactions. Our results identified 13 shared components between cucumber and tomato plant odors. A synthetic blend of seven of the shared components dominated by monoterpenes at concentrations mimicking the volatile bouquet of cucumber and tomato attracted both sexes of the melon fly. Our results suggest that the presence and quantity of specific compounds in host odors are the main predictors for host recognition in Z. cucurbitate.

Plant Chemicals and the Sexual Behavior of Male Tephritid Fruit Flies

Plant compounds affect insects in many different ways. In addition to being a food source, plants also contain secondary metabolites that may have positive and negative impacts on insects. The influence of these compounds on sexual behavior, in particular, has been the focus of many recent studies. Here, we review the existing literature on the effects of plant compounds on the sexual behavior of tephritid fruit fly males. We put special focus on polyphagous species whose males congregate in leks, where females exert strong mate selection. We first summarize the main findings related to plant compounds that increase male signaling behavior and attraction of females and consequently increase mating frequency, a phenomenon that has been recorded mainly for species of Anastrepha and Ceratitis. In other tephritid species, males are attracted to phenylpropanoids produced by plants (such as methyl eugenol or raspberry ketone) that, upon encounter, are consumed and sequestered by males. These compounds, or metabolic derivatives, which normally have negligible nutritional value, are included in the pheromone and also confer advantages in a sexual context: enhanced female attraction and improved male mating success. These phenomena have been reported for several Bactrocera species as well as for Zeugodacus cucurbitae. Because many tephritid species are serious pests, the effect of plant compounds on male behavior has been explored for potential incorporation into control strategies such as the sterile insect technique (SIT). We conclude noting several factors, such as age and nutrition during larval and adult stage, that modulate the effect of plant compounds on male mating behavior as well as some prominent gaps that preclude a thorough understanding of the plant-mediated enhancement of male sexual performance and hence limit our ability to effectively utilize phytochemicals in pest control strategies.

The silkrose of Bombyx mori effectively prevents vibriosis in penaeid prawns via the activation of innate immunity

We previously identified novel bioactive polysaccharides from Bactrocera cucurbitae and Antheraea yamamai that activate innate immunity in RAW264 murine macrophages. However, in terms of potential applications in the cultivation of prawns, there were problems with the availability of these insects. However, we have now identified a polysaccharide from Bombyx mori that activates innate immunity in RAW264 cells and penaeid prawns. This purified polysaccharide, termed silkrose of B. mori (silkrose-BM), has a molecular weight of 1,150,000 and produces a single symmetrical peak on HPLC. Eight of nine constitutive monosaccharides of silkrose-BM are concomitant with dipterose of B. cucurbitae (dipterose-BC) and silkrose of A. yamamai (silkrose-AY). The major differences are found in the molar ratios of the monosaccharides. Silkrose-BM is approximately 500-fold less potent than silkrose-AY (EC50: 2.5 and 0.0043 μg/mL, respectively) in a nitrite oxide (NO) production assay using RAW264 cells. However, the maximum NO production for silkrose-BM and AY were comparable and higher than that of the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli. The survival of penaeid prawns (Litopenaeus vannamei and Marsupenaeus japonicus) after infection with Vibrio penaecida was significantly improved by both dietary silkrose-BM and B. mori pupae. This suggests that silkrose-BM effectively prevents vibriosis in penaeid prawns via the activation of innate immunity.

Host-age effects and the efficiency of the pupal parasitoid Dirhinus giffardii (Silvestri, 1913) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) against the melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett, 1849) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract Dirhinus giffardii is an efficient and aggressive pupal parasitoid of tephritid flies, including Bactrocera cucurbitae. Here we report on the various biological aspects of Dirhinus giffardii, mainly host-age preference, potential as well as the survival of this parasitoid from the pupae of different ages and its in vivo release against Bactrocera cucurbitae. The emergence rate of parasitoids was higher in old pupae than in fresh pupae. Similarly, the lifespan and potential of parasitoids emerged from older pupae were higher than those emerged from younger ones. The parasitoids reared on older pupae significantly controlled melon fly infestation in vivo. These findings suggest that parasitoids reared on older pupae of B. cucurbitae have a greater potential regarding fecundity, parasitism performance and survival, as these parasitoids effectively suppressed populations of B. cucurbitae under greenhouse conditions.

Effect of Physiological State on Female Melon Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Attraction to Host and Food Odor in the Field.

Foraging behavior of wild female melon fly, Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) cucurbitae Coquillett, a worldwide pest of economically important cucurbit crops, was examined through mark and recapture studies in both wild (Kona: dominated by the invasive weed ivy gourd, Coccinea grandis [L.] Voigt [Cucurbitaceae]), and cultivated (Kapoho: dominated by papaya, Carica papaya L. [Caricaceae] orchards) habitats on Hawaii Island. In particular, the extent to which wild melon flies and color-marked F2 females responded to cucumber odor and Solulys yeast hydrolysate laced with ammonium acetate (1%, wt/vol) according to sexual maturity stage and degree of protein hunger was documented. Kona results indicated that more wild and color-marked F2 females responded to cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. [Cucurbitaceae]) odor than to protein odor with the exception of captured wild flies without eggs, which responded similarly to protein bait and cucumber odor. Results with captured wild females and color-marked F2 females in Kapoho suggested a significant preference for cucumber odor over protein odor regardless of whether or not they had eggs in their ovaries with the exception of protein-deprived color-marked F2 females, which responded to both odors in equal numbers. Implications of these new findings based on wild melon flies in natural habitats are discussed with respect to integrated pest management control strategies with protein bait sprays used in Hawaii. The possibility of adding cucurbit volatiles to protein-based baits is discussed.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method for non-model fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and evidence of histone modifications.

Interactions between DNA and proteins located in the cell nucleus play an important role in controlling physiological processes by specifying, augmenting and regulating context-specific transcription events. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a widely used methodology to study DNA-protein interactions and has been successfully used in various cell types for over three decades. More recently, by combining ChIP with genomic screening technologies and Next Generation Sequencing (e.g. ChIP-seq), it has become possible to profile DNA-protein interactions (including covalent histone modifications) across entire genomes. However, the applicability of ChIP-chip and ChIP-seq has rarely been extended to non-model species because of a number of technical challenges. Here we report a method that can be used to identify genome wide covalent histone modifications in a group of non-model fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae). The method was developed by testing and refining protocols that have been used in model organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster. We demonstrate that this method is suitable for a group of economically important pest fruit fly species, viz., Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis capitata, Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Bactrocera tryoni. We also report an example ChIP-seq dataset for B. tryoni, providing evidence for histone modifications in the genome of a tephritid fruit fly for the first time. Since tephritids are major agricultural pests globally, this methodology will be a valuable resource to study taxa-specific evolutionary questions and to assist with pest management. It also provides a basis for researchers working with other non-model species to undertake genome wide DNA-protein interaction studies.

Effect of weather parameters on incidence of insect pests of cucumber in eastern Bihar

The insect-pests infestation in cucumber leads to severe injury to its’ vegetative parts and fruits by epilachna beetle, red pumpkin beetle, whitefly, pumpkin caterpillar, leaf minerand fruit fly. The present investigation was taken upduring 2014 and 2015 to study the population dynamics of prevailing six insect-pests of cucumber and its natural enemies inrelation to weather parameters.The correlation studies between insect pests and weather parameters revealed that the melon fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett), epilachna beetle (Epilachna vigintioctopunctata Fabricius), red pumpkin beetle (Aulacophora foveicollisLucas), whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), pumpkin caterpillar (Diaphania indica Saunders) and leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii Burgess) showed significant positive correlation with maximum and minimum temperature,whereas negative and nonsignificant correlation with relative humidity and rainfall. The natural enemies such ascoccinellids and spiders showed significant positive correlation with maximum and minimum temperature, and non significant negative correlation with relative humidity and rainfall. Sunshine hour showed positive correlation with all the insect pests and natural enemies except epilachna beetle.

Capture of Melon Flies and Oriental Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Traps Baited with Torula Yeast-Borax or CeraTrap in Hawaii

Summary Food baits are a key component in trapping programs to detect infestations of pest species of tephritid fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Traditionally, a torula yeast-borax slurry has been used most frequently, but the recently developed food bait CeraTrap, consisting of hydrolyzed animal protein, has proven more attractive to certain tephritids. This study compared field captures of melon flies, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), and oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), in traps baited with torula yeast-borax or CeraTrap in an agricultural setting in Hawaii. Data show that melon flies were captured in significantly greater numbers in traps baited with torula yeast-borax than CeraTrap, while no difference in captures was noted for the oriental fruit fly between traps baited with the 2 food types. Sumario Los cebos alimenticios son un componente clave en los programas de captura para detectar infestaciones de especies de moscas de la fruta tefritidas (Diptera: Tephritidae). Tradicionalmente, se ha utilizado con mayor frecuencia una suspension de torula levadura-borax, pero el cebo alimenticio recientemente desarrollado CeraTrap, que consiste en proteina animal hidrolizada, ha demostrado ser mas atractivo para ciertos tefritidos. Este estudio comparo capturas de campo de la mosca de melon, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) y la mosca de la fruta oriental, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), en trampas cebadas con torula levadura-borax o CeraTrap en un entorno agricola en Hawaii. Los datos muestran que las moscas de melon fueron capturadas en numeros significativamente mayores en trampas cebadas con torula levaduraborax que CeraTrap, mientras que no se observaron diferencias en las capturas para la mosca de la fruta oriental entre las trampas cebadas con los 2 tipos de alimentos. View this article in BioOne

Efficacy of management approaches against cucurbit fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae coquillett) of bitter gourd

Field and laboratory studies were carried out to find out the extent of fruit fly infestation at different fruiting stages of bitter gourd as well as to determine the efficacy of some pesticidal and other control approaches applied either separately or in combination. The pesticidal efficacy of three commonly used insecticides such as secufon, malathion, karate and karanja oil as botanicals with the concentrations of 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75% and 1.00% respectively was determined against the larvae of cucurbit fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae in the laboratory based on mortality at different time intervals. All the pesticides caused maximum mortality at 72 h with 1.00% concentration. The level of fruit fly infestation at different fruiting stages of bitter gourd ranged from 8.91% to 88.19%, 9.24% to 94.89% and 5.01% to 89.27% at early, mid and late fruiting stage, respectively. Soil treatment with furadan @ 10kgha-1 + bagging of fruits showed significantly lowest infestation (9.46%) which was ten times lower than that of untreated control (91.43%). The other control approaches viz., sex pheromone, bait trap with secufon + cucurbit chop, bait trap consisted of secufon + banana chop reduced fruit fly infestation to a significant level. The highest number (83.67) of flies trapped at mid fruiting stage of bitter gourd was recorded in sex pheromone trap while the ratio of male and female flies ranged from 1.13 to 1.24 in the trapped individuals.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 42(4): 757-766, December 2017

Suppression of female melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, with cue‐lure and fipronil bait stations through horizontal insecticide transfer

AbstractMelon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is an important quarantine tephritid fruit fly with resident populations established in Hawai'i, USA. In the male‐annihilation approach, male flies are targeted using dispensers with cue‐lure (C‐L) and insecticides, typically organophosphates. The efficacy of the male annihilation approach is thought to be limited to individual male flies, contacting the lure and the pesticide, after which they die. Alternative classes of insecticides, such as fipronil, have been investigated for use in male‐annihilation. We hypothesized that ingestion of fipronil by male flies could lead to horizontal transfer and mortality in female flies. Horizontal insecticide transfer extends pesticide control beyond the individual contacting the toxicant through indirect contact via food sharing or other mechanisms. We tested the possibility for horizontal transfer of fipronil from male to female Z. cucurbitae through field and laboratory studies. Two repeated field trials were conducted to compare the numbers of female flies collected in fields treated with Amulet C‐L (0.34% fipronil active ingredient) bait stations, sanitation, and spot treatments of GF‐120 Fruit Fly Bait to numbers collected in fields where sanitation and spot‐treatments were used without Amulet C‐L. In fields with Amulet C‐L bait stations in conjunction with sanitation and weekly protein bait spot treatments of GF‐120 Fruit Fly Bait, female captures were significantly lower than those in field plots treated with weekly protein bait spot treatments and sanitation. In subsequent laboratory studies, all females died within 6 h after direct exposure to male flies that had access to Amulet C‐L for 1–4 min. The possibility that male regurgitant could be a mechanism for horizontal transfer and subsequent female mortality was determined by collecting regurgitated droplets from fipronil‐fed male flies and feeding them to males and females. Both male and female flies exposed to regurgitant from fipronil‐fed male flies or droplets containing fipronil had higher mortality than the male and female flies that were exposed to regurgitant or droplets with only the C‐L compound or sugar solution. Thus, female flies do experience mortality from exposure to regurgitant from males that have fed on fipronil laced solutions. This provides evidence of at least one mechanism of horizontal transfer of insecticide in tephritid fruit flies. These findings are discussed in the context of Z. cucurbitae integrated pest management programs in Hawai'i.