The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used successfully for the control of fruit flies. The efficiency of this technique can be significantly reduced when sterile released insects are exposed to adverse conditions and predators, as a great number of sterile insects die before reaching sexual maturity and thus fail to mate with wild females. Treatments with juvenile hormone (JH) analogues such as methoprene (M) significantly reduce the time to reach sexual maturity by sterile Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) males. In this study, we compared the sexual performance of non‐treated sexually mature males with young males that had been sexually accelerated with M. Furthermore, we compared the ability of M‐fed males in inhibiting female remating compared with sexually mature males. Results showed that at 5 days M‐fed males had lower mating success than mature males; however, 6‐day‐old (0.1%) M‐fed males had the same amount of matings as mature 13‐day‐old males. Young 5‐ to 10‐day‐old M‐fed males also had similar number of matings as mature non‐treated 12‐ to 17‐day‐old males. There were no differences in copula duration between treatments. Moreover, there were no differences between the fertility, fecundity or refractory period of females mated with either young male fed M or normal sexually mature males. These results indicated that young males that were sexually accelerated with M have the same sexual performance as non‐treated sexually mature males. Implications of using M as a pre‐release treatment for A. ludens controlled through SIT are discussed.

The behavioral responses of virgin and mated female Anastrepha striata Schiner (Diptera: Tephritidae) to guava (Psidium guajava L.) or sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.) were evaluated separately using multilure traps in two-choice tests in field cages. The results showed that flies were more attracted to guava and sweet orange volatiles than to control (unbaited trap). The physiological state (virgin or mated) of females did not affect their attraction to the fruit volatiles. Combined analysis of gas chromatography coupled with electroantennography (GC-EAD) of volatile extracts of both fruits showed that 1 and 6 compounds from orange and guava, respectively elicited repeatable antennal responses from mated females. The EAD active compounds in guava volatile extracts were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as ethyl butyrate, (Z)-3-hexenol, hexanol, ethyl hexanoate, hexyl acetate, and ethyl octanoate. Linalool was identified as the only antennal active compound in sweet orange extracts. In field cage tests, there were no significant differences between the number of mated flies captured by the traps baited with guava extracts and the number caught by traps baited with the 6-component blend that was formulated according to the relative proportions in the guava extracts. Similar results occurred when synthetic linalool was evaluated against orange extracts. From a practical point of view, the compounds identified in this study could be used for monitoring A. striata populations.

Aedes albopictus is a vector of dengue, chikungunya, and dirofilariasis. Volatile compounds are crucial for mosquitoes to locate their hosts. This knowledge has allowed the identification of attractants derived from human odours for highly anthropophilic mosquito species. in this study, we used rats as a experimental model to identify potential attractants for host-seeking Ae. albopictus females. porapak Q extracts from immature female rats were more attractive to Ae. albopictus females than those from mature and pregnant females, and males. Phenol, 4-methylphenol, 4-ethylphenol, and indole were identified compounds in male, immature, mature, and pregnant female extracts. There were quantitative differences in these compounds among the extracts that likely explain the discrepancy in their attractiveness. Ae. albopictus females were not attracted to the single compounds when was compared with the four-component blend. However, the binary blend of 4-methylphenol + 4-ethylphenol and the tertiary blend of 4-methylphenol + 4-ethylphenol + indole were as attractive as the four-component blend. In the field trials, BGS traps baited with the tertiary or quaternary blends caught more Ae. albopictus females and males than BGS traps without lures. This is the first laboratory and field study to identify compounds that mediate the attraction of Ae. albopictus to one of its hosts. Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) is a mosquito native to Southeast Asia, however is a highly invasive mosquito species and is difficult to control 1,2. This mosquito species is considered a secondary vector of dengue, other arboviruses and canine dirofilarisis 2,3. Recently, Ae. albopictus has also been incriminated as a primary vector in epidemics of chikungunya fever (CHIK) in several countries bordering the Indian Ocean, Central Africa and Europe 4,5. In addition, Ae. albopictus has shown a rapid geographical spread in recent decades 6 , as it has high genetic, physiological and ecological plasticity 7. Ae. albopictus is frequently found in suburban and rural areas where open spaces with vegetation predominate. Several studies have reported that this mosquito species feeds on a great number of hosts, such as mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles 8-11 , suggesting that Ae. albopictus is an opportunistic mosquito and possibly a vector of zoonotic and human arboviruses. The host-seeking behaviour of mosquitoes is a complex process that involves the use of chemical and physical cues emitted by the hosts 12,13. This knowledge has allowed the identification of different attractant blends derived from human odours for highly anthropophilic mosquito species, including Anopheles spp., Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti 12,14-19. Some of these blends have been evaluated with Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. For example, BG-Sentinel (BGS) traps baited with a BG-lure (ammonia, lactic acid and caproic acid), octenol and CO 2 captured more Ae. albopictus mosquitoes than CDC light traps and gravid traps 20. Further, it was found that the L-lactic acid ...

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