Tuesday, December 11, 2007
D0393

Ammonia as a component of fruit fly attractants

Nancy D. Epsky, Nancy.Epsky@ars.usda.gov1, Donald B Thomas, dthomas@weslaco.ars.usda.gov1, Colmar Serra2, David G. Hall, david.hall@ars.usda.gov3, Paul E. Kendra, Paul.Kendra@ars.usda.gov1, and Robert R. Heath, Bob.Heath@ars.usda.gov1. (1) USDA-ARS, Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, 13601 Old Cutler Road, Miami, FL, (2) Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales, Centro de Tecnología Agrícola, Pantoja, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, (3) USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Subtropical Insects Research Unit, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL

Fruit flies in the genus Anastrepha, especially the reproductive age females, are attracted to protein baits. Synthetic lures based on the principal components of protein degradation, especially ammonia along with acetic acid, were tested against three of the most economically important Anastrepha species. The results varied among the species, perhaps in part because of the different envionmental conditions where these pests are prevalent. In Mexico and Florida, A. ludens and A. suspensa, respectively, were caught in higher numbers by traps baited with synthetic lures containing ammonium acetate and putrescine. But, in the Dominican Republic where A. obliqua is the dominant pest, traps with whole aqueous protein baits outperformed the synthetic blends. Ideally, a single attractant formulation could be deployed by a regional crop protection program for detection of an array of pest fruit flies. Our results suggest that the optimal blend may vary among species and from one region to another.


Species 1: Diptera Tephritidae Anastrepha suspensa (Caribbean fruit fly)
Species 2: Diptera Tephritidae Anastrepha ludens (Mexican fruit fly)
Species 3: Diptera Tephritidae Anastrepha obliqua (West Indian fruit fly)