Evaluation of traps and toxicants in an attract-and-kill system for Rhagoletis mendax (Diptera: Tephritidae)

A series of laboratory and field assays were performed to evaluate new methods for an attract-and-kill approach to control blueberry maggot, Rhagoletis mendax Curran. In laboratory assays, fly mortality was similar among insecticide-treated matted paper, plastic, and biodegradable sphere traps. Plastic and biodegradable traps baited with ammonium acetate captured significantly more flies than baited matted paper traps in field assays, whereas fly captures were similar in baited matted paper traps and unbaited plastic sphere traps. Treatments containing imidacloprid resulted in the highest amount of fly knockdown, and spheres coated with this insecticide still had significant knockdown after 6 wk of field exposure. Fly mortality was comparable on sphere traps coated with fipronil and imidacloprid, with both resulting in significantly more fly mortality than the control when flies were exposed to traps that had been weathered for 4 wk in the field. Spheres coated with acetamiprid resulted in fly mortality, but further evaluation is necessary to determine the potential of this compound. Deltamethrin was ineffective in causing fly knockdown at the rate tested. Our results indicate that fipronil and imidacloprid have potential as insecticidal coatings on either plastic or biodegradable spheres in an attract-and-kill system for control of R. mendax.