American Entomologist (2008) 54, 240-250

Eric B. Jang, Grant T. McQuate, Donald O. McInnis, Ernest J. Harris, Roger I. Vargas, Renato C. Bautista and Ronald F. Mau (2008)
Targeted trapping, bait-spray, sanitation, sterile-male, and parasitoid releases in an areawide integrated melon fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) control program in Hawaii
American Entomologist 54 (4), 240-250
Abstract: An areawide integrated pest management approach to melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) suppression in Kamuela, Hawaii, was undertaken as part of a larger statewide program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA–ARS), Areawide Initiative. After a survey on five islands, a grid of 1 trap/km² over 40 km² was established in Kamuela to locate areas of infestation. Then a targeted male trapping array was applied based on the distribution of host plants, and these were mapped using geographic information systems. Trap density was determined by monitoring existing traps and by increasing density where catch was high. Sanitation of crops, application of GF120 Naturalyte NF bait spray, Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), and augmentation of Psyttalia fletcheri parasitoids were also used. Pretreatment trapping in the farming area indicated a melon fly population peak of 11.94 ± 9.90 flies/trap/day (f/t/d) on 30 Oct. 2000. By 2003, the average catch of the grid traps over 16 wk was 0.016 ± 0.005 f/t/d per km², a 99.87% reduction. Some resurgence of melon fly population to a 12-wk average of 0.191 ± 0.79 f/t/d per km² occurred when USDA discontinued SIT and parasitoid release and bait spray applications. Resurgence occurred primarily in the off-farm areas where growers had not adopted the three suppression techniques (sanitation, bait spraying, and male annihilation). Restoring USDA bait sprays application and briefly reapplying SIT returned the population to a mean of 0.033 ± 0.004 f/t/d per km² between 20 Jan. and 5 April 2004. Between August 2002 and August 2003, infestation in all fruits observed over 40 km² averaged 14.3 ± 2.9%. In 2002, with all suppression activities implemented, the infestation rate averaged 8.5 ± 4.8% in sampled fruit. That is an 83.2% reduction compared with the 2000–2001 mean infestation of 50.6 ± 4.9%.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Grant T. McQuate, Roger I. Vargas, Eric B. Jang, Ernest J. Harris

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
inundative/inoculative release

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Zeugodacus cucurbitae		U.S.A. (Hawaii)
Psyttalia fletcheri (parasitoid)	Zeugodacus cucurbitae		U.S.A. (Hawaii)