Trapping flies with acoustics: Artificial calling song attracts female Mediterranean fruit flies

• Published in: Resource (Saint Joseph, Mich.) Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 11 - 12
• Main Authors: Mizrach, A, Hetzroni, A, Ignat, T, Grinshpun, J, Mazor, M, Shuman, D, Mankin, R, Epsky, N, Heath, R
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Society of Agricultural Engineers 2004
• Subjects: acoustic traps; Ceratitis capitata; female attractants; fruit flies; insect communication; insect control; insect traps; male songs; mating behavior; sexual communication; sounds; trapping
• ISSN: 1076-3333; 2330-0442

Fruit flies are common agricultural pests in most parts of the world. The polyphagous Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata ('medfly') damages more than 250 different types of fruit, including citrus as well as many deciduous and subtropical fruits. The common control schemes utilize ultra-low-volume aerial spraying of poison-bait mixture and scattering sterile males. Increased public awareness of the environmental threats from extensive pesticide usage has increased interest in the development of environment-friendly alternatives. Females, which cause direct damage to the fruit, are the main target for control. Attractants, especially for females, are efficient population control tools with reduced environmental impact. Medfly males produce three distinct sounds as part of their sexual communication ritual. There have been only a few attempts to utilize male sounds, natural or artificial, to attract female fruit flies. The calling song - low amplitude vibrations at a frequency of ~350 Hz, has the potential to be utilized as an artificial female attractant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attraction of mate-seeking female medflies to broadcasting recorded and synthetic sounds. It was found that, in most bioassay experiments in which sounds were played to laboratory and wild flies, the female flies were attracted to sites near speakers more than to sites without sound. This study indicates that there is a possibility of using sound to enhance the attractiveness of acoustic traps to mate-seeking female medflies.