Evaluation of Two Pupation Methods for Mass Production of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)1

Abstract

Two methods of pupation for mass production of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were compared. Mean pupal weight, adult eclosion, and fecundity were significantly higher for larvae pupated in boxes of vermiculite than for those pupated in trays without any pupation medium. Adults reared from pupae without pupation medium emerged 1 day later and were shorter-lived than those reared from larvae that had pupated in vermiculite. These results are of considerable significance to the selection of a pupation technique for a mass-production facility.