Perimeter trapping strategy to reduce Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera : Tephritidae) damage on different host species in Israel

To evaluate the perimeter trapping strategy as a control method, field test s were conducted in three different host species of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), in Israel. Dry traps baited with a th ree component food-based synthetic attractant that were hung in the periphe ral rows of a plum, a pear, and a persimmon orchard, caught female C. capit ata (up to 20.1, 1.4, and 4.1 female C. capitata per trap per day, respecti vely). Fruit damage, estimated at harvest, indicated a negligible percentag e for the plum orchard (<1%), 3% for the persimmon orchard (compared with 9 % at an untreated neighboring plot), and no damaged fruit in the pear orcha rd. Finally, dissections of female C. capitata caught in dry traps on diffe rent host plant species indicate that a high percentage (range, 84-100%) co ntained mature eggs. The attraction of mature females to the dry traps migh t explain the successful results. Future research, to determine precisely h ow many traps should be placed and how frequently they should be serviced, is necessary before applying this strategy on a commercial basis.