Introduction. African fruit production, as well as regional and
international fruit trade, have experienced heavy economic losses over the past decade due
to the damage caused by fruit flies, especially B. invadens Drew Tsuruta
& White (Tephritidae: Diptera). Bactrocerainvadens
attacks fruits belonging to numerous botanical families, several of which are of great
economic importance. The females of these flies generally lay their eggs in mature fruits,
but some can lay in green-immature fruits. Materials and methods. The
influence of the species, variety and phenology of fruits on the fruit attractiveness to
B. invadens and the elicitation of B. invadens
egg-laying behaviour were studied in the laboratory. Fruits harvested regularly during the
years 2008 and 2009 from orchards in the Niayes area (Senegal) were exposed to gravid
females in cages set for the different factors tested. The exposed fruits were then
incubated and the pupae emerging from them were counted. Results and
discussion. Bactrocera invadens females laid eggs in ripe
fruits. Within the same fruit species, the variety plays an important role in egg-laying
preference. Hence, among the mango varieties tested, the Pêche variety hosted the highest
number of pupae per fruit, while the Palmer variety hosted the lowest number. Comparison
among different fruit species showed that mature papaya was more infested than mature
mango or citrus. Furthermore, flies were unable to develop on lime.
Conclusion. Our study showed that B. invadens can infest
green and ripe host fruits, and even immature abscised fruits. Consequently, management of
this pest must include preventive measures in the development and implementation of an
integrated management system.