Journal of Taiwan Agricultural Research

Author:Kun-Yaw Ho*, Shi-Cheng Hung, Chien-Chung Chen and How-Jing Lee

Abstract:

    Ripe guava fruits in net bag wrapped with sticky board (guava-sticky-bag) could attract more female melon flies (Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett) than the treatments that with young sponge gourd or no fruit in the net bag in sponge gourd field. Results of the experiment conducted in a sponge gourd field in 2002 showed that the guava-sticky-bag trapped a large number of female and male flies and reduced the percentage of the infested fruit. A 61.4% control rate was obtained after using guava-sticky-bag for 3 weeks, compared with the control treatment which only use insecticide to control the melon fly. The use of guava-sticky-bags resulted in the reduction of chemical application in sponge gourd field. From the observations of the fly population occurred in the field, we found that there were 3.7 to 7 folds more of the females in the guava-sticky-bag treated plot than the males in the same plot or than the total of female and male flies in the control plot. Based on the results of more female flies found in the guava-sticky-bag treated plot and the decreasing tendency of the percentage of trapped gravid female, it shows that the guava-sticky-bag can trap the melon fly effectively in sponge gourd field.

Key words:Fruit web-bag, Sponge gourd, Bactrocera cucurbitae

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