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As a vital pest control strategy, trapping plays an important role in the system of monitoring, catching and killing fruit flies. Cuelure (4-(4-acetoxyphenyl)-2-butanone, CL) is a male lure that attracts Zeugodacus tau and also stimulates feeding in this species. In this study, the attraction of Z. tau to CL and its subsequent feeding behavior were investigated. Under the significant influence of age and time of day, the attraction of CL to Z. tau was found to be optimal when flies were 14 days old, and the number of flies trapped increased with trapping duration. It was determined that consumption can improve the mating success and female adult fertility of Z. tau. After the observation period, the mating success rate of flies that ingested CL was significantly higher than that of the control group and was maintained at a higher level. It was found that parental consumption of CL could accelerate the development of eggs and larvae, resulting in increased pupation and emergence rates. The results of this study will further clarify the dynamic relationship between pest and lure, and provide a research basis for navigating the integrated management of Z. tau in the field.

Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Z. tau are two major fruit fly pests of cucurbitaceous plants in the tropical and subtropical regions. The former species has a broader host range and wider world distribution than the latter. With global climate change, Z. tau shows great potential for geographical expansion with several invasion records in recent years. Males of both species are attracted to cue lure (CL) (and raspberry ketone (RK), a deacetyl derivative of CL), a common male lure used in fruit fly population detection, monitoring and control programs. Males of both species are also known to respond to zingerone (ZN), which are produced by some rainforest orchids. Previous studies have shown that fruit fly-male lure interactions are unique to species and lure types, and significantly impact the success of a lure-based fruit fly control program. We seek to compare the attraction of Z. cucurbitae and Z. tau males to CL, RK and ZN via Probit behavioral assays. Our results showed that CL is more attractive to Z. cucurbitae and Z. tau males than RK, while ZN is a poor lure for both species. Attraction Z. tau to CL is slightly lower than Z. cucurbitae, but the former is at least 1.71 times less attractive to RK than the latter. Together with published information on species’ sexual development, our current study indicates a lure-based control program via male annihilation technique for Z. tau will be more challenging than Z. cucurbitae and should incorporate other integrated pest management strategies for a desirable outcome.

Fruit flies attack numerous crops, including cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme). The potential presence of the immature stages of fruit fly species inside tomatoes during export hinders their international market access. Therefore, phytosanitary treatment must be performed before export to prevent fruit fly species from entering countries where they are not naturally found. We developed a phytosanitary cold disinfestation treatment protocol to eliminate oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel), melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae Coquillett), and pumpkin fruit fly (Zeugodacus tau Walker) concealed inside cherry tomatoes without causing critical damage to the fruit. We determined that the third instar of Z. cucurbitae exhibited the highest cold tolerance among the various development stages of the three fruit fly species.Thus, we performed a small-scale disinfestation test on Z. cucurbitae in two cultivars of tomato. We achieved complete disinfestation after 15 days of cold treatment at 1°C–1.5°C.The confirmatory test revealed the elimination of more than 80,000 treated third instar of Z. cucurbitae in each tomato variety.The developed phytosanitary cold treatment allows the tomatoes to retain their commercial value.This study provides a standard phytosanitary cold treatment protocol for cherry tomatoes, ensuring the disinfestation of fruit flies before their export to international markets. Graphical Abstract

The fruit flies Bactrocera tau (Walker) and B. cucurbitae (Coquillett) are economically important invasive pests on numerous vegetable and fruit species in China. Due to the instability of the early spring climate, temperatures often deviate far below the normal temperature for short periods of time. Such a sudden short-term low temperature may impact the reproduction and development of the two fruit fly species. In this study, the effects of low temperatures (8, 6, 4, 2, 0, –2, and –4°C) on the development and reproduction of these two closely related fruit fly species were studied under laboratory condition. The results showed that their survival rates decreased gradually with corresponding decreases in the tested temperatures. On the other hand, their pre-oviposition periods and their adult female to male sex ratios increased, while the average number of eggs per female of each species and longevity of male adult of B. cucurbitae initially increased and later decreased after exposure to the low-temperature treatments. Overall, low temperatures promoted reproduction in B. cucurbitae and B. tau at temperatures ranging from 24°C to as low as 8°C. Development and reproduction of the two species were negatively affected when temperatures were between 8 to –4°C. The cold resistance of each developmental stage was higher in B. tau than in corresponding stages of B. cucurbitae.

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and the pumpkin fruit fly, Bactrocera tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae), are important invasive pests on Cucurbitaceous hosts. The acute toxicity of five insecticides to females of these two fruit fly species was bio-assayed by membrane method, and effects of their sublethal concentration on the survival, reproduction, and ovary development of females were evaluated in the laboratory. Results showed that based on the LC50 values, both B. cucurbitae and B. tau were the most susceptible to trichlorfon. After treatment with sublethal concentration (LC30) of trichlorfon, abamectin+β-cypermethrin, spinetoram, and lambda-cyhalothrin, the female survival days of the two Bactrocera species were significantly shortened compared with the control. Moreover, the fecundity of two Bactrocera species was remarkably decreased, after exposure to abamectin+β-cypermethrin and trichlorfon LC30. However, the sublethal concentration (LC30) of insecticides had no significant influence on the egg hatchability of the fruit flies. Furthermore, after treatment with abamectin+β-cypermethrin LC30, the ovary length, width, and egg load of B. cucurbitae were significantly lower than that of the control; however, only the ovarian length and egg load of B. tau were significantly decreased on the 16th and 20th day. In conclusion, abamectin+β-cypermethrin has an excellent insecticidal activity against B. cucurbitae and B. tau.

Zeugodacus tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an important agricultural pest currently managed primarily through the application of insecticides due to limited control strategies. Bait station devices are target specific and have emerged as a behaviorally based alternative to traditional insecticide sprays for managing Z. tau. In this study, we designed a bait station by integrating female-biased olfactory, visual, and gustatory elements, and a killing agent in a wax-matrix. Our results showed that the wax-matrix integrated with spinetoram showed the highest toxicity to immature and mature Z. tau females. Furthermore, the color and shape of the spinetoram bait station significantly influenced its attractiveness and toxicity to female Z. tau. Green sausage-shaped exteriors were the most effective color and shape examined. Subsequent experiments showed a length-dependent effect on mortality and visiting frequencies of Z. tau females when the bait stations were 9–13 cm long.The addition of the olfactory stimulus of 5% ammonium acetate to the bait station attracted a higher number of mature Z. tau females than the control.The killing efficacy of the weathered bait station was similar to that of the fresh station within an 8-week period (over 794 mm of rainfall).The bait station developed herein would provide new insight into the attract-and-kill strategy for Z. tau and alleviate the pressure of the actual management program for this pest.

Fruit flies cause substantial economic damage, and their management relies primarily on chemical insecticides. However, pesticide resistance has been reported in several fruit fly species, the mitigation of which is crucial to enhancing fruit fly control. Here, we assess the toxicity of a novel insecticide (fluralaner) and a common insecticide (dinotefuran) against three fruit fly species, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), and Bactrocera tau (Walker). Both pesticides exhibit robust lethal and sublethal effects against all three fruit fly species, with fluralaner being more potent. Fluralaner and dinotefuran suppress the reproductive capacities and survival rates of fruit flies. However, at the 50% lethal concentration, fluralaner stimulates the reproductive capacity of B. dorsalis and the survival rate of B. tau. Fluralaner also causes significant transgenerational effects, impacting the offspring hatching rate of B. cucurbitae and B. tau and reducing the proportion of female offspring. Thus, both pesticides exhibit high potential for controlling fruit flies. However, their application should be tailored according to species variations and the diverse effects they may induce. Collectively, the findings of this study outline the sublethal effects of two insecticides against fruit flies, helping to optimize their application to ensure the effective management of insecticide resistance.

Fruit flies in the genus Bactrocera are global, economically important pests of agricultural food crops. However, basic life history information about these pests, which is vital for designing more effective control methods, is currently lacking. Artificial diets can be used as a suitable replacement for natural host plants for rearing fruit flies under laboratory conditions, and this study reports on the two-sex life-table parameters of four Bactrocera species ( Bactrocera correcta, Bactrocera dorsalis, Bactrocera cucurbitae, and Bactrocera tau ) reared on a semi-artificial diet comprising corn flour, banana, sodium benzoate, yeast, sucrose, winding paper, hydrochloric acid and water. The results indicated that the larval development period of B. correcta (6.81 ± 0.65 days) was significantly longer than those of the other species. The fecundity of B. dorsalis (593.60 eggs female −1 ) was highest among the four species. There were no differences in intrinsic rate of increase ( r ) and finite rate of increase (λ) among the four species. The gross reproductive rate ( GRR ) and net reproductive rate ( R 0 ) of B. dorsalis were higher than those of the other species, and the mean generation time ( T ) of B. cucurbitae (42.08 ± 1.21 h) was longer than that of the other species. We conclude that the semi-artificial diet was most suitable for rearing B. dorsalis, due to its shorter development time and higher fecundity. These results will be useful for future studies of fruit fly management.

This study investigated spatio-temporal fluctuations and population dynamics of Bactrocera fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in relation to selected climatic variables. Additionally, infestation rate of Bactrocera species and trapping efficiency of different trap types and characteristics were explored. Fruit flies were collected from 14 selected localities of 9 districts in 4 agro-ecological zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa using pheromone traps (methyl eugenol and raspberry extract), food-baited traps, and from rearing of infested fruits. A total of 12,058 fruit flies belonging to nine species: Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), Bactrocera correcta (Bezzi), Bactrocera signata (Hering), Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), Bactrocera tau (Walker), Bactrocera zahadi (Mahmood), Bactrocera scutellaris (Bezzi), and Bactrocera nigrofemoralis (White and Tsuruta) (all Diptera: Tephritidae) were collected. The first 3 species were categorized as dominant. Highest flies per trap per d was recorded from district Kohat (Zone-D) while the lowest was in Nowshera (Zone-C). Havelian, district Abbottabad (Zone-B), was the most diverse locality. Fruit fly population peaked in May and were at a minimum in Dec. There was a significant positive correlation between rainfall and Bactrocera species abundance, and a negative association between relative humidity and population abundance. Highest flies per trap per d were recorded at elevations ranging from 285 to 855 masl in semi-arid and cool zones, in sub-humid zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and in rangelands south of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Fruit flies showed host specificity with respect to certain plant families. Methyl eugenol-raspberry extract traps and food-baited traps displayed species-specific trapping patterns. South-facing and green or yellow colored traps were the most attractive. Numbers of Bactrocera were higher in methyl eugenol-raspberry extract mixture traps compared to other pheromone trap combinations. In food-baited trials, peach and guava-baited traps attracted the highest number of Bactrocera flies. Adding sugar and yeast increased trapping efficiency. Este estudio investigó las fluctuaciones espacio-temporales y la dinámica poblacional de las moscas de la fruta del género Bactrocera (Diptera: Tephritidae) en Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistán, en relación con las variables climáticas seleccionadas. Además, se exploró la tasa de infestación de especies de Bactrocera y la eficiencia de captura de diferentes tipos y características de trampas. Se recolectaron moscas de la fruta en 14 localidades seleccionadas de 9 distritos en 4 zonas agroecológicas de Khyber Pakhtunkhwa utilizando trampas de feromonas (metil eugenol y extracto de frambuesa), trampas con cebo alimentario y cría de frutas infestadas. Un total de 12.058 moscas de la fruta pertenecientes a nueve especies: Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), Bactrocera correcta (Bezzi), Bactrocera signata (Hering), Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), Bactrocera tau (Walker), Bactrocera zahadi (Mahmood), Bactrocera scutellaris (Bezzi), y Bactrocera nigrofemoralis (White and Tsuruta) (todas Diptera: Tephritidae) fueron colectados. Las primeras 3 especies fueron categorizadas como dominantes. Se registró la mayor cantidad de moscas por trampa por día en el distrito de Kohat (Zona-D), mientras que la menor fue en Nowshera (Zona-C). Havelian, distrito de Abbottabad (Zona-B), fue la localidad más diversa. La población de moscas de la fruta alcanzó su punto máximo en mayo y alcanzó un mínimo en diciembre. Hubo una correlación positiva significativa entre la lluvia y la abundancia de especies de Bactrocera, y una asociación negativa entre la humedad relativa y la abundancia de la población. La mayor cantidad de moscas por trampa por día se registró en elevaciones que oscilan entre 285 y 855 msnm en zonas semiáridas y frías, en zonas subhúmedas de Khyber Pakhtunkhwa y en pastizales al sur de Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Las moscas de la fruta mostraron especificidad de hospedero con respecto a ciertas familias de plantas. Las trampas con extracto de frambuesa y eugenol de metilo y las trampas cebadas con alimentos mostraron patrones de captura específicos de la especie. Las trampas orientadas al sur y de color verde o amarillo fueron las más atractivas. El número de Bactrocera fue mayor en las trampas de mezcla de metil eugenol y extracto de frambuesa en comparación con otras combinaciones de trampas de feromonas. En los ensayos con cebo alimentario, las trampas cebadas con durazno y guayaba atrajeron la mayor cantidad de moscas Bactrocera. La adición de azúcar y levadura aumentó la eficiencia de captura.

Bactrocera flies are the serious pests of fruit, vegetables, and nuts over the world. Bactrocera tau Walker is an economically important pest of agricultural crops. In Asia, approximately 30–40% losses of agricultural products are caused by B. tau infestation every year. In Asia, the B. tau contains a complex of sibling species that called the tau complex. However, the basic studies of B. tau and complex species are very important for integrated management. A comprehensive review of the B. tau and complex species has not been provided elsewhere. So, considering the importance of B. tau and complex species, this study provides the published information on ecology, nomenclature, identification tools, geographical distribution, potential invasion, and IPM tactics of B. tau and complex species, which would be more informative for publication facilitating related to integrated pest management (IPM) strategies of B. tau and complex species. In IPM of B. tau and complex species, the phytochemical and biological controls have not been applied successfully in Asia; there is an urgent need to study and applications of these two mentioned control techniques against the B. tau and complex species in Asia.