Enhancement of attraction of alpha-ionol to male Bactrocera latifrons (Diptera : Tephritidae) by addition of a synergist, cade oil

Male lures are known for many tephritid fruit fly species and are often pre ferred over food based traps for detection trapping because of their high s pecificity and ability to attract flies over a wide area. Alpha-ionol has b een identified as a male lure for the tephritid fruit fly Bactrocera latifr ons (Hendel). The attraction of this compound to male B. latifrons individu als, however, is not as strong as is the attraction of other tephritid frui t fly species to their respective male lures. Cade oil, an essential oil pr oduced by destructive distillation of juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus L.) twig s, synergized the attraction of alpha -ionol to male B. latifrons. Catches of male B. latifrons at traps baited with a mixture of alpha -ionol and cad e oil were more than three times greater than at traps baited with alpha -i onol alone. Substitution of alpha -ionol + cade oil for alpha -ionol alone in detection programs could considerably improve the chance of detecting in vading or incipient populations of B. latifrons. However, detection program s should not rely solely on this lure but also make use of protein baited t raps as well as fruit collections. Further work with fractions of cade oil may help to identify the active ingredient(s), which could help to further improve this male lure for B. latifrons.