Sterile males of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) as disseminators of Beauveria bassiana conidia for IPM strategies

Sterile Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.), males were evaluated as vectors to spread Beauveria bassiana (Bals) conidia to wild C. capitata populations under field conditions. The inoculated sterile males were released by air, using the chilled adult technique over 7000 ha of coffee growing in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, Central America. The impact of releases was determined using dry traps baited with a food attractant. The effects of these releases on Apis mellifera, Linnaeus (honey bee), Hypothenemus hampei, Ferrari (coffee berry borer) and the parasitic mite Varroa destructor (Oudeman) were also evaluated. Inoculated sterile males were able to transmit fungal spores to 44% of the wild C. capitata flies captured in traps, which likely were infected through intra- and intersexual interactions during leks, mating or mating attempts. There was no transmission of the fungal spores to non-target insect species such as coffee berry borer, honey bees or varroa. We conclude that sterile males of Mediterranean fruit fly inoculated with B. bassiana can act as effective vectors of conidia to wild populations, constituting a safe, environmentally friendly and selective alternative for suppressing the medfly under a Sterile Insect Technique-based IPM approach.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Flores Breceda, Salvador Doctor 13522, Campos, Sergio autor/a, Villaseñor Cortés, Antonio autor/a 20976, Valle, Álvaro autor/a, Enkerlin Hoeflich, Walther Raúl Mr. autor/a 15861, Toledo, Jorge Doctor autor/a 5445, Liedo Fernández, Pablo Doctor autor/a 67, Montoya Gerardo, Pablo Jesús Doctor autor/a 12374
Format:	Texto biblioteca
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Moscas de la fruta, Ceratitis capitata, Beauveria bassiana, Técnica del insecto estéril, Control integrado de plagas, Artfrosur,
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