Tests of Synthetic Apple Volatiles in Traps as Attractants for Apple Maggot Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Commercial Apple Orchards

Abstract

Tests of three types of traps for apple maggot flies (Rhagoletis pomonella [Walsh]) in 25 commercial orchards in 1982 and 20 orchards in 1983 showed that red spheres baited with synthetic apple volatiles were 2- to 4-fold as effective as unbaited spheres, and more than 50-fold as effective as Pherocon AM yellow panels. Polyethylene vials that released volatiles through the season were as effective as standard polyethylene caps that were replaced twice weekly during the summer. The traps were equally effective in all the apple cultivars used in the trials. In contrast, tests conducted in two abandoned unsprayed orchards, which were heavily infested with apple maggots, showed no significant differences in catches between the baited and unbaited spheres.