Suppressing Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) with an attract-and-kill device in pome and stone fruit orchards in Western Australia

Attract-and-kill is a possible alternative to the conventional control of Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) with bait or cover sprays of organophosphate insecticides. In this study, we determined if an attract-and-kill device (MagMED^®) could be applied alone at the recommended rate (80 devices/ha), or needed to be combined with other conventional control tactics to suppress medfly in deciduous fruit orchards (apple, nectarine, peach, pear, plum). We also determined if attract-and-kill had any detrimental effects on naturally occurring beneficial insects. Based on an acceptable level of crop loss of 2–5% (the level of crop loss growers can tolerate), attract-and-kill suppressed medfly and reduced crop loss below the acceptable level in orchards with additional controls. Attract-and-kill was most effective when combined with either bait spraying, cover spraying or both. Combining attract-and-kill with cover sprays of fenthion resulted in a drop in crop loss of apples from 2.5% to 0.5%. By combining attract-and-kill with weekly bait sprays and two cover spray applications, crop loss fell from 13.7% to 4.3% in peaches, from 6.3% to 5% in nectarines and from 6.3% to 3.7% in pears. Twice weekly bait spraying was the most effective technique at suppressing medfly, providing acceptable control when applied alone, which further improved by combining with attract-and-kill. By combining attract-and-kill with twice weekly bait spraying crop loss fell from 2% to 1% in nectarines and from 4% to 2% in apples. In laboratory trials, attract-and-kill devices killed 100% of brown lacewings (Micromus tasmaniae Walker) and 94% of transverse ladybeetles (Coccinella transversalis Fabricius) 24 h after contact. However, orchard samples suggest that it may not pose any significant negative impact on naturally occurring beneficials such as Neuroptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Thysanoptera and Syrphidae in the field.