Females of Ceratitis capitata are facultative polyandrous, with remating more common in laboratory strains rather than wild ones. In the application of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against this pest, large overflooding ratios of sterile : wild males can increase the remating frequency. Females that mate for the first time with a sterile male tend to remate more frequently. The exposure of sterile males to ginger root oil (GRO) is used in C. capitata SIT programmes to increase the sterile male mating success. Exposing males to an ‘aromatherapy’ with GRO may also increase the remating frequency among wild females. The frequency of wild females remating, number of matings per female, the refractory period between the first and second mating, and the duration of the first and second matings of wild females were determined under laboratory conditions for three mating scenarios that included wild males only or wild males competing with sterile males (either GRO‐treated or non‐treated). Wild females first mated with sterile males exposed to GRO had their remating rate over the following 6 days and the mean number of matings per female reduced in comparison to those first mated with non‐exposed sterile males, from 62.5% to 32.2% and from 3.1 to 1.6 respectively. The remating parameters of females mated with sterile GRO‐exposed males resembled those of females mated with wild males.

An integrative multidisciplinary approach was used to delimit boundaries among cryptic species within the Anastrepha fraterculus complex in Brazil. Sexual compatibility, courtship and sexual acoustic behaviour, female morphometric variability, variation for the mitochondrial gene COI, and the presence of Wolbachia were compared among A. fraterculus populations from the Southern (Vacaria, Pelotas, Bento Gonçalves, São Joaquim) and Southeastern (Piracicaba) regions of Brazil. Our results suggest full mating compatibility among A. fraterculus populations from the Southern region and partial pre‐zygotic reproductive isolation of these populations when compared with the population from the Southeastern region. A. fraterculus populations from both regions differed in the frequency of courtship displays and aspects of the calling phase and mounting acoustic signal. Morphometric analysis showed differences between Southern region and Southeastern region samples. All populations analyzed were infected with Wolbachia. The trees generated from the COI sequencing data are broadly congruent with the behavioural and morphometric data with the exception of one Southern population. The likely mechanisms by which A. fraterculus populations might have diverged are discussed in detail based on behavioural, morphometric, molecular genetics, and biogeographical studies.

We studied the dispersal behavior and survival of sterile medßy males either treated or not with ginger root oil (GRO), in Þeld conditions, in Petrolina-PE, northeast Brazil, from May 2006 to December 2007 in a sterile insect technique (SIT) program. The tsl strain Vienna 8 from the Ceratitis capitata Wied. (Diptera: Tephritidae), medßy, mass-rearing facility located in Juazeiro-BA, Brazil, was used. The results showed that sterile males either exposed or not to GRO exhibit similar dispersal behavior and postrelease survival. More than 60% of the sterile males, either treated or not treared wth GRO, were recovered at a 25-m distance from the releasing point, Ϸ20% at 50 m, and 5% in traps situated 100 m from the releasing point. Around 90% of the sterile males, exposed or not to GRO, were recovered 5 d after release of the sterile male individuals, whereas Ͻ1% were recovered after 11 d. Our results imply that ginger root oil can be used to treat sterile medßy males without interfering with their dispersal or survival in the Þeld.

Fruit flies are the main pests of fruit growing in Brazil. They have been managed predominantly with the use of insecticides applied as cover spray and or/as toxic baits. Currently, the trend of management strategies is toward the adoption of methods that cause the lowest environmental impact in large areas. In this context, biological control is an excellent option to be used together with other management strategies, such as sterile insects, because it leaves no residues, does not disturb nontarget pests, and can be permanent if the natural enemy establishes itself in the field. This review paper addresses the current knowledge on the biological control of fruit flies in Brazil, highlighting the great biodiversity of its natural enemies, especially parasitoids, its biology and ecology. The classical biological control programs in Brazil are also reported, from the introduction of Tetrastichus giffardianus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), in 1937, to control Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), to that of Fopius arisanus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), in 2012, to control Bactrocera carambolae (Diptera: Tephritidae). Finally, the obtained advances are pointed out, as well as the main bottlenecks and perspectives for the effective use of biological control programs against fruit flies.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used as part of an integrated approach to reduce field populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, Diptera: Tephritidae). Aromatherapy based on exposure to ginger root oil (GRO) volatiles is known as a method to significantly improve the sexual performance of sterile medfly males, and is being used in many mass‐rearing facilities around the world. However, the optimum dose of GRO is not well defined. This work evaluated in laboratory cages four different doses of GRO and a control (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 ml/m3), and two different methods to hold flies prior to release (paper bags and plastic cages). The objective was to find the lowest dose that provides optimal improvement in mating performance of sterile males when competing with wild males for wild females and optimal reduction in fertility of wild females. Egg hatch, copula duration, the Relative Sterility Index (RSI), and a Competitiveness (C) value (based on RSI) were calculated for each treatment to assess male sexual performance and induction of sterility. The method used to hold flies did not influence the aromatherapy effect. The mean time spent by wild females in copula with wild males was significantly longer than with sterile males for all treatments, except when sterile males were treated with 0.1 ml of GRO/m3. Amongst all doses studied, it is recommended to apply the lowest dose, 0.1 ml of GRO/m3, since at this dose both the RSI and induced sterility reached the highest levels, and were not statistically different from the 0.25 and 0.5 GRO/m3 doses. Indeed, this dose showed a very significant improvement in the mating competitiveness of sterile males aromatically treated with GRO.