The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, displays a lek mating system characterized by a high level of female discrimination among potential mates. The basis of female choice is not understood, but recent studies indicate that male exposure to the aroma of certain plant structures or essential oils may increase their mating success. Exposure to the aroma of ginger root oil (GRO) has been shown repeatedly to enhance male mating frequency. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mechanism underlying female preference for GRO-exposed males. First, I monitored female attraction to i) freshly killed flies or ii) hexane extract-containing paper discs from varying treatments. Females were sighted more frequently near i) GRO-exposed males than non-exposed males and ii) paper discs containing hexane wash from GRO-exposed males than discs with hexane wash from non-exposed males. These findings suggest a ‘perfume effect’, whereby female mate choice was mediated by olfactory differences between GRO-exposed and non-exposed males. Second, I compared mate choice between intact females and females from which both antennae had been surgically removed. Intact females preferred GRO-exposed males, while females lacking both antennae mated very rarely and showed no preference between GRO-exposed and non-exposed males. In the opposite treatment (intact females but surgically altered males), GRO-exposed males lacking both antennae mated as frequently as GRO-exposed, intact males. These data suggest that female choice was dependent on olfactory perception of male odor but that male mating success did not depend on olfactory perception of GRO aroma.