A study was conducted to determine the effect of trimedlure (TML) bait field duration on recovery of sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) under west central Florida conditions. Jackson traps baited with TML soft plugs were placed in residential (N = 80) and industrial (N = 40) settings, then monitored weekly. Traps were monitored to determine if TML bait at thr...

We investigate the fitting of response curves in the presence of a continuous covariate. A model is presented in which the expected random response curves, viewed as functions of time and conditional on the covariate, are products of a smooth mean function of time and a smooth function of the covariate. We propose a simple and straightforward estimation scheme for the component functions of the...

Genetic diversity among Sodalis glossinidius populations was investigated using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers. Strains collected from Glossina palpalis gambiensis and Glossina morsitans morsitans flies group into separate clusters, being differentially structured. This differential structuring may reflect different host-related selection pressures and may be related to the diff...

Invasions by pest insects pose a significant threat to agriculture worldwide. In the case of Ceratitis capitata incursions on the US mainland, where it is not officially established, repeated detections are followed by quarantines and treatments to eliminate the invading population. However, it is difficult to accurately set quarantine duration because non-detection may not mean the pest is eli...

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), is one of the most important fruit pests worldwide. The medfly is a polyphagous species that causes losses in many crops, which leads to huge economic losses. Entomopathogenic bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus have been proven to be safe, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective tools to cont...

The three most common and most successful methods for controlling fruit-fly pest species (particularly Ceratitis capitata) are the sterile-insect technique, insecticide use, and biological control. Yet while innovative research in the first two have meant significant improvement in the efficiency of these techniques over the past two decades, by comparison, improvements in the efficiency of bio...

A method is proposed to locate any new autosomal and recessive mutation in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.). A series of crosses searches for pseudo-linkage between sex and the mutation by employing three strains with Y-linked translocations, thereby indicating its chromosome location.

Aim Knowledge of how effective interceptions and quarantine measures are in preventing new biological invasions is of paramount importance for maintaining ecosystem function in a rapidly changing world. Here, we determine current macrogeographic population structure and routes of invasion of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) using genetic approaches and reconstruct and test invas...

This study investigated the interactions of the pupal fruit ßy parasitoid, Dirhinus giffardii Silvestri, with each of four eggor larval-pupal fruit ßy parasitoids: Fopius arisanus (Sonan), Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), Diachasmimorpha kraussii Fullaway, and Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) in Hawaii. F. arisanus attacks host eggs, whereas the other three attack host larvae; all four pa...