Vapor Heat Treatment for Zucchini Infested with Bactrocera Cucumis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

Zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L., infested with 22-h-old eggs of Bactrocera cucumis (French) were completely disinfested using a vapor heat treatment of 45 degrees C with > 94% RH for 30 min. An estimated total of 178,219 eggs (22 h old) was treated without survivors, thus achieving probit 9 mortality. Twenty-two-h-old eggs were significantly more tolerant of heat than first, second, or third instars. All treatments were done in a Sanshu model EHK-1000B vapor heat treatment system.