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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #289571

Title: Captures of Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera:Tephritidae) and non-target insects on red spheres versus yellow spheres and panels

Author
item Yee, Wee

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2013
Publication Date: 10/30/2013
Citation: Yee, W.L. 2013. Captures of Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera:Tephritidae) and non-target insects on red spheres versus yellow spheres and panels. Journal of Economic Entomology. 106(5):2109-2117.

Interpretive Summary: The western cherry fruit fly damages sweet cherry fruit and is a major quarantine pest of cherries in the western U.S. Efficient detection methods for adult flies are needed to tell if an area is free of or has a low prevalence of the fly. Personnel at the USDA-ARS Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory in Wapato, WA compared the numbers of flies captured on sticky red spheres and sticky yellow spheres and panels. Red spheres consistently caught fewer cherry fruit flies than bright yellow spheres and panels. Non-target insects caught on yellow traps did not interfere with captures of cherry fruit flies any more than on red spheres. Results suggest that bright yellow spheres or panels should be used instead of red spheres for detecting low populations of cherry fruit flies.

Technical Abstract: Sticky red spheres can be used to capture western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), but whether they capture more flies than yellow spheres and panels is poorly known. The objective of this study was to compare fly captures on red spheres versus yellow traps so that sensitive detection traps for fly management can be identified. Non-target insects can interfere with fly captures, so weights of non-target insects on traps were determined. Yellow spheres and panels generally caught more flies than red spheres. Fewer females than males were caught on red spheres. Differences in captures on red spheres versus various yellow traps across 10 tests were more frequent in females than males. Saffron Thread, Marigold, Sunny Summer, and Yam yellow spheres and panels were bright yellow and they generally caught more flies, especially females, than Cherry Cobbler Red or Tartar Red spheres. Twenty Carat and Glorious Gold spheres and panels were less bright and caught fewer flies than yellow traps and similar numbers of flies as Tartar Red spheres, respectively. Dry weights of non-target insects on at least one yellow trap type were greater than on red spheres in only five of 10 tests. Results show that bright yellow spheres and panels capture more R. indifferens than red spheres and do not consistently capture heavier amounts of non-target insects than red spheres, suggesting that they should be used instead of red spheres for detecting low populations of this fly.