Abstract |
The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is one of the world's most important agricultural insect pests. It has many fruit and vegetable hosts and a worldwide distribution. For successful control, chemical as well as biological methods (usually the Sterile Insect Technique) are used against it. The quality of sterile males is of decisive significance for the success of the SIT. Studies on the nutrition of Tephritids in connection with SIT include the role of protein: carbohydrate ratio, natural food sources and the end effect on longevity, fecundity and fertility. The effect of adult nutrition on adult longevity, fecundity and fertility was examined during this study. The results were in accordance with the theory of food selection by insects in nature, as an optimizing factor of nutritional exploitation of natural resources. Furthermore, it was shown that natural food which consists only of carbohydrates cannot support prolonged longevity neither fecundity. Fruit juice (sliced fruit interior offered) was found to be adequate for survival and egg production of laboratory and wild medflies, but with differences on the rate and duration of egg laying period when compared with artificial diet. The 3 different kinds of honeydews studied showed differences in their nutritional value. Significant differences were also found between wild and laboratory insects on the ability to survive and reproduce on different honeydews. The differences concerned longevity, fecundity and fertility of medfly adults. In all cases the laboratory adult diet proved to be better than honeydews. Finally, it was found that laboratory insects couldn't live for more than 4 days without a source of carbohydrate, and that insect's excreta had little nutritional value.
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