Ceratitis capitata and its prevention

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Ceratitis capitata

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Ceratitis capitata and its prevention

Ceratitis capitata is one of the most destructive fruit pests in the world

Ceratitis capitata is one of the most destructive fruit pests in the world .

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of the ( Ceratitis capitata ) fruit fly life cycle. Damaged fruits are unmarketable.

Fruit fly economic losses for fruit and vegetable producers include reduced yield and quality, increased control costs, and market loss.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, is one of the most destructive fruit pests in the world.

Fruit flies (family Tephritidae) attack a wide range of fruits and vegetables.

In Western Australia (WA), the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) is a major problem for commercial gardeners and home owners, attacking a wide range of fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The Mediterranean fruit fly has been successfully spread and established in many parts of the world.

Description of Mediterranean fruit fly

Mediterranean fruit fly ( Ceratitis capitata ) activity depends on temperature.

The life cycle of fruit fly lasts 34-28 days in summer and 60-115 days in winter.

The activity and number of flies is higher in the warm months of the year.

Adult insects become active when the temperature is above 12°C.

As temperatures rise in the spring, more adults emerge from the ground and flies become active.

If control is not started at this time, the fruit fly population will increase and cause problems later in the season.

When temperatures begin to drop, fruit flies can survive as eggs or larvae in fruit or as pupae in the ground for long periods of time.

Adult fruit fly insects may live for two to three months and are often found on the foliage of fruit trees, especially citrus.

As long as there is fruit, the fruit fly will not move more than 50 meters. Males form groups under the leaves and demand mating with females.

After mating, females search for a suitable ripe fruit. Suitable ripe fruits include mangoes, citrus fruits, grapes and stone fruits.

When fruit fly numbers and competition are high, or if suitable fruit is not available, females may also infest unripe or less desirable fruits such as olives and sweet peppers.

After finding a suitable host, the female fruit fly uses the egg-laying organ to make a hole in the skin of the fruit and lays up to 300 eggs in the fruit.

Eggs laid in unripe fruits may hatch as the fruits ripen.

Geographical expansion

The fruit fly originated in Africa.

The fruit fly has spread and settled in Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America, Hawaii and Western Australia.

C. capitata is an EPPO A2 quarantine pest (EPPO, 1981), and is also of quarantine significance throughout the world (CPPC, NAPPO, APPPC), especially for Japan and the USA.

Its presence in Hawaii, but not in mainland USA, has contributed to its high international profile as a quarantine pest.

It has reached all tropical and warm temperate land masses with the exception of Asia.

Life cycle of Ceratitis capitata

Female fruit fly insects lay their eggs under the skin of the host fruit that is just beginning to ripen.

The eggs hatch within 2-4 days and the larvae tunnel towards the center of the fruit to feed.

Larvae inside the fruit can be seen when they emerge from the fruit to pupate or when the fruit is opened.

Larvae emerge 6-11 days after feeding on the fruit and fall to the ground to pupate.

Pupation usually occurs below the soil surface and adult insects emerge after 6-11 days.

Most female insects are ready to mate 6-8 days after emergence and can lay up to 22 eggs per day.

Adult insects can live up to 2 months and usually lay about 300 eggs in a lifetime (up to 800 eggs have been reported).

Fruit fly identification

Adult insects

Adult insects are slightly smaller than house flies and are 3-5 mm long.

Fruit flies ( Ceratitis capitata ) are yellowish brown in color.

The wings are marked with brown stripes and the tips of the wings are spotted.

The abdomen of the fly is brown and surrounded by two bright rings.

The middle of the chest has irregular black and silver spots that give it a mosaic shape.

The female insect has an egg-laying organ, but the male does not have this organ.

Male insects form groups (called spots) under the leaves of the same or neighboring trees and call the females.

The egg

The female fruit fly ( Ceratitis capitata ) prefers to lay eggs in soft fleshy fruits such as apricots, peaches, plums and nectarines.

After finding a suitable host, it uses the ovipositor to pierce the skin of the fruit.

Clusters of up to 300 transparent eggs are located in this cavity.

The eggs are hardly visible to the naked eye and their laying takes 2-4 days in summer and 19-20 days in winter.

When fruit fly numbers are high and competition is high, females infest less preferred hosts such as olive.

Hosts/Species Affected

Ceratitis capitata is a highly polyphagous species and its pattern of host relationships from region to region appears to relate largely to what fruits are available.

Coffea spp. are especially heavily attacked, although the attack on coffee does not impact on this crop as only the fleshy part of the fruit, which is discarded, is utilised by the larvae.

However, the quality may be affected and in many areas coffee crops appear to act as an important reservoir from which other crops may be attacked.

In some areas wild hosts are of importance, for example, box thorn, Lycium europaeum, is an important overwintering host in North Africa

larva

The eggs hatch in two to four days and turn into larvae. Larvae are white with a flat and pointed head and are about 7-8 mm long.

This stage of the life cycle is easily visible.

There are three larval stages, in the first instar, the larvae are 1 mm long and quickly reach 8 mm in the third instar.

The larvae feed on the fruit and cause its decomposition. At full development (third instar), the larvae stop feeding and leave the fruit and burrow into the soil to pupate.

The larval stage lasts about 16-14 days in summer and 45-25 days in winter.

Pupae

Pupae resemble a small brown capsule with a length of 4 mm.

Inside the Pupae, the fruit fly slowly transforms into an adult insect. The pupal stage lasts 12-14 days in summer and 25-50 days in winter.

Fruit fly hosts

The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata ) attacks more than 260 fruits (including apples, pears, persimmons, grapes, mangoes, citrus fruits, and stone fruits), flowers, and various vegetables.

Juicy fruits with thin skin are preferred. Infested fruit may be unfit to eat. By feeding on the fruit, the larvae expose it to decay.

Infected fruits often rot and drop early.

Fruits that have been attacked by fruit flies usually have holes through which the larvae crawl out.

Infected fruits and vegetables are damaged by secondary diseases such as rotting disease due to feces and larval feeding.

Fruit fly management

Currently, a number of management options, alone or in combination, are used to control fruit flies:

Compliance with agricultural hygiene

Maintaining proper farm hygiene and removing fallen fruit from trees will reduce the number of breeding sites for fruit flies and other pests.

This in turn can speed up population control and support preventive measures.

These basic hygiene measures are, so to speak, the basis of most pest control programs.

poison bait

Combine a bait with a protein source and an insecticide.

Both male and female fruit flies are attracted to the protein source.

Bait can be placed in just a few spots in a field or garden, and flies are attracted to these spots.

The poisoned bait selectively targets fruit flies and keeps many beneficial insects at bay.

spraying

Cover spraying involves the use of insecticides with very fine droplets on the entire tree parts, including the fruits.

Topical sprays are not selective and are usually only used when fruit fly ( Ceratitis capitata ) populations become uncontrollable and the population can be controlled by spraying.

Cover spraying controls all life stages of the fruit fly.

Most insecticides only kill adult flies on contact, and if left unchecked, the pest population will increase again two to three weeks later.

It is recommended to spray the trees with Spinosad insecticide.

Note: The soil under the host trees and adjacent trees that have infected fruits or suspected larvae should also be sprayed.

Use a trap

A wide variety of fruit fly traps are available.

Fruit fly traps usually consist of an attractant and a killer agent.

The most common fruit fly traps contain synthetic pheromones that mimic fruit fly pheromones. The male fruit fly is attracted to these traps.

Food-based traps are also available that work in a similar way to poison bait. These attract male and female fruit flies.

In order to effectively control the correct density of traps must be observed.

Use of sterile insects

The sterile insect method (SIT) involves releasing large numbers of non-sterile insects into a fruit fly population.

In a fruit fly population, sterile males mate with females, resulting in infertile eggs.

This leads to a rapid decline in the fruit fly population.

Agricultural control

Placing a cover around the fruit is one of the most effective fruit fly control techniques.

This method is more suitable for small and home gardens. Wrapping fruit in newspaper, paper bags, or cloth provides a simple physical barrier to oviposition.

For this method to be effective, the coating must be applied before the fruit fly attack.

Conclusion

Fruit fly ( Ceratitis capitata ) is one of the important pests of most fruit trees in the world, which causes great damage to farmers and gardeners every year.

By feeding on fruit, fruit fly larvae make the fruit unusable and susceptible to fungal diseases such as rot.

Economic losses of fruit flies for fruit and vegetable producers include yield and quality reduction, increased control costs, and market loss.

In order to control the fruit fly, methods such as agricultural hygiene, pheromone traps, poisoned bait, cover spraying and the technique of releasing sterile insects are used.

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