A novel attractant for Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) from a Concord grape product.

An attractant for Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), was developed from a commercial product called Sabor Uva containing processed Concord grape juice. The principal volatile components of Sabor Uva aroma were identified and an aqueous mixture of 15 components that was gas chromatographically similar to Sabor Uva was prepared. This mixture was equivalent to Sabor Uva in attractiveness by using wind-tunnel bioassays.

Identification of chemicals emitted by calling males of the Sapote fruit fly, Anastrepha serpentina.

Emissions from sexually active Anastrepha serpentina males were collected by solid-phase microextraction. Calling behavior of wild-type males showed no clear peak during the day, except that it was evident less frequently immediately after daybreak and just before dark. Calling by laboratory males was highest between 8 and 11 h after onset of the photophase, and mating by wild flies occurred mostly between 6 and 10 h after onset of the photophase.

Comparison of two synthetic food-odor lures for captures of feral Mexican fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Mexico and implications regarding use of irradiated flies to assess lure efficacy.

Feral Mexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), were trapped in a citrus orchard in Mexico by using two types of synthetic food-odor lures, the AFF lure (Anastrepha fruit fly lure, APTIV, Inc., Portland, OR) and the BioLure (two-component MFF lure, Suterra LLC, Inc., Bend, OR).

Efficacy of two synthetic food-odor lures for Mexican fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) is determined by trap type.

Sterile mass-reared Mexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), were trapped in a citrus orchard by using multilure traps and cylindrical sticky traps baited with Advanced Pheromone Technologies Anastrepha fruit fly (AFF) lures or Suterra BioLure two-component (ammonium acetate and putrescine) MFF lures (BioLures). The cylinder trap/AFF lure combination was the best trap over the first 6 wk, the multilure trap/BioLure combination was best during weeks 6-12, and the multilure trap/AFF lure combination was best during the last 6 wk. The multilure trap/BioLure combination was best overall by 36% over the cylinder trap/AFF lure combination, and 57% over the multilure trap/AFF lure combination.

Grapefruit oil enhances attraction of Mexican fruit flies to a synthetic food-odor lure.

We investigated the attractiveness of grapefruit oil to the Mexican fruit fly. Only high concentrations were attractive in laboratory wind-tunnel bioassays. Attraction of flies to grapefruit oil was not enhanced if they had previous experience with grapefruit.

Volatiles production and attractiveness to the Mexican fruit fly of Enterobacter agglomerans isolated from apple maggot and Mexican fruit flies.

We investigated two strains of uricase (+) Enterobacter agglomerans, one isolated from the apple maggot fly (AMF) and one from the Mexican fruit fly (MFF), for 1) attractiveness to MFF, and 2) production of attractive chemicals. Regarding chemicals demonstrated attractive to the MFF, the MFF bacterial strain produced more 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2-phenylethanol, and indole than the AMF strain, whereas the AMF, but not the MFF strain, produced 3-hydroxybutanone. Cell types that predominated in plated subcultures varied from batch to batch resulting in variation in volatiles production, especially by the AMF strain where indole was sometimes a major component of the odor and at other times not detectable.

Purine metabolizing capability of Enterobacter agglomerans affects volatiles production and attractiveness to Mexican fruit fly.

We investigated two strains of Enterobacter agglomerans that differ in their ability to metabolize uric acid for (1) attractiveness to sugar-fed Mexican fruit flies, and (2) production of volatile chemicals that may be responsible for the attractiveness. The two strains were cultured on a medium that contained uric acid as the primary nitrogen source to simulate bird feces, a natural substrate for this bacterium. Active cultures of both strains were more attractive than uninoculated uric acid medium to both sexes of sugar-fed flies in wind-tunnel bioassays.