Fruit Fly

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What is fruit fly?

It is the flying insects and polyphagous in nature which means it is the most destructive pest. In India 200 species of fruit fly has been recorded out of which 30-40 species of flies are causes to damage the fruit and vegetables. In India, custard apple is mainly infested by the Dacuszonatus.( R. Maruthadurai and V. Karuppaiah)

Name: Bactrocerazonata (Saunders)

Taxonomic position: Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae

Synonyms: Dacuszonatus, Dasyneurazonata, Rivelliapersicae

Life cycle of fruit fly

Eggs – The female fly laid eggs below skin of the fruit. The eggs are hatched within 1- 3 days.

Larvae – After hatching Larvae feed the fruits pulp for another 4 -5 days for its development. It has 3 larval instars

  1. First Instar -The first instar larvae are elongated, white, and 1.7 to 2.3 mm (0.07 to 0.09 in.) long.
  2. Second Instar -The second instar larvae are elongated, white, and 4.0 to 6.5 mm (0.16 to 0.26 in.) long.
  3. Third Instar – The third instar larvae are yellowish-white and 9 to 10 mm (0.35 to 0.39 in.) long

Pupa – Pupation takes place in soil under the host plant for at least 8 – 10 days. This is the stage where it becomes adult and flies again. The pupae are barrel-shaped, yellowish to yellowish-brown

Adult – Adult emerges after 1 – 2 weeks. It is about 6 mm (0.24 in.) long and reddish brown with yellowish thoracic markings and transparent wings with a small brown spot on the tip.

How fruit fly damages of Custard Apple?

  • The maggots feed on the fruit flesh causing the fruit to rot.
  • Maggot bore into the semi ripened fruits and cause direct damage by puncturing the fruit skin to lay eggs.
  • After fully development of maggots it will emerge out by making hole for the pupation in soil.

What are the symptoms of fruit fly infestation?

  • The first sign of B. zonata attack is a small puncture wound (scar)
  • The infested fruit may become deforms and during heavy infestation the fruits usually drop off.
  • The excreta of the larvae accumulate in the galleries causing fruit rot.

How to manage or control the fruit fly?

Cleanliness of Orchard

  • Clean cultivation and sanitation of orchard should be followed by picking and destroying the infested fruits.
  • Collection of fallen infested fruits and dispose them by dumping in a pit and covering with soil.

Regular soil Tillage

  • Tillage is an important operation in controlling the fruit fly.
  • It exposes larvae to external atmosphere where they are fed by other predators.
  • Manually raking the soil around the trees during summer season to expose the pupae to sunlight and other natural enemies can control the fruit fly.

Bagging – It is also one of the most important aspects to control the fruit fly infestation.

Fruit bagging in VNR Madhur with Butter Paper

Pheromone Trap – Monitor the activity of files with Methyl eugenol sex lure traps.

Setting up Pheromone Traps

  • Fruit fly being flight insects are difficult to control with regular insecticidal sprays therefore its recommended and advantageous to choose pheromone traps. 
  • Use of methyl eugenol pheromone traps is found to be effective in controlling this pest. These pheromone traps are also helpful in early detection of these pests and controlling its population.
  • It is recommended to take 10 ml of this mixture per trap to setup 10 Pheromone traps in a plot size of 1 acre, where they are hanged at a height of 5 to 6 feet, well before the ripening of fruits. These pheromone traps needs to be replaced at weekly intervals.

Placement of Pheromone Traps

These traps can be placed in site where fruit flies are mostly seen in the orchard. It can be hanged in tree trunks itself. The motive of this exercise is to cover major areas of the orchard.