Fruit fly (Bactocera cucubite, B. tau, B. zonatus, Tephritidae, Diptera)
- Most serious and major pest of cucurbit
Damaging stage: larva(maggots)
Damaging symptoms: fruit rot, internal decay, gives out foul smell and numerous maggots are seen when cut.
Identification:
- Egg: laying egg inside the soft fruit and release gummy secretion on the puncture it with its sharp ovipositor mostly in evening, white and cylindrical shaped egg.
- Larva: white, small maggot.
- Pupa: inside soil sometimes fruit.
- Adult: brown color, wings are hyline with dark brown costal strip, 3 bright strip on dorsum and scutellum is yellow color. Ovipositor are present in female fruit fly.
Life cycle:
Egg–1 weeks–> Larva –2-3 weeks–> Pupa –1 weeks –> Adult
Management:
- Collect the fallen fruit and destroy it.
- Field??I sanitation, bagging of growing fruit.
- Used protein bait( rice flour,maize flour, wheat flour which mixed with toxicants called spinosad)
- Use fruit fly trap: cue lure
- Used food based pan trap: use piece of ripening pumpkin fruit mixed with the malathian, molasses, and sugary substance can be used to increase efficacy.
- Male sterile technique.
- Parasitoid: Fopius arisanus, Diachasmia morphakraus