A NEW TRIMEDLURE PLUG DISPENSER FOR THE ATTRACTION OF MALE MEDIFERRANEAN FRUIT FLIES

摘要

A new commercial plug dispenser containing trimedlure, the parapheromone for male mediflies, Ceratitis capitat (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), was devloped and tested. The dispenser shoed high efficacy in comparison to reference cotton wicks baited with trimedlure and to the standard AgriSense plug dispenser, containing trimedlure, now in use in all medfly detection programs. Fly captures were not significantly different with the two styles of plugs when aged and tested in Hawaii. When both plugs were aged in California and then tested in Hawaii, the fly captures with the new plug were not significantly different from the standard AgriSense plug except for being significantly higher for the T-1 and T-2 weeks of aging. The residual amounts of trimedlure in the new plug after each aging period in California compared to that in the AgriSense plug during the same aging period were 6.8/100 and 3.2/100 greater for T_Q and T-1 weeks aged, respectively, and 13.6/100 , 19.1/100 , and 26.2/100 less for T-2, T-4, T-6 weeks aged, respectively. However, the emission rates of the California-aged new plug exceeded that of the California-aged standard AgriSense plug by 7.2, 29.6,33.3, 14.6, and 9.5/100 for T-0, T-1, T-2, T-4, and T-6, respectively.