Which artificial larval diet is better for Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) rearing?

Abstract

Background There is an increasing demand for biological agents for integrated pest management programs, requiring a constant supply of insects in terms of quantity and quality. In this context, the development of insect-rearing methods and quality control parameters are essential in order to provide best-quality and economic viability products. The medfly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most economically important species of fruit flies in several fruit-producing areas of Brazil, being massively reared in many countries for Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs. To achieve mass production scale, suitable larval diets are necessary for medfly rearing at laboratory conditions. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the best artificial larval diet and the respective larval density for C. capitata on diets based on corn flour (CF), sugarcane bagasse (SB), and lyophilized carrot powder (CP), considering biological parameters of quality control and economic viability. Results Based on the obtained results and although all diets produced quality pupae according to FAO/IAEA/USDA standards, the SB artificial diet promoted better results in the number of larvae, larval weight, number of pupae, and pupal weight, in comparison with CF and CP diets, as well as being the most economically viable. The optimal larval densities on CF, SB, and CP diets were, respectively, 0.5, 2.0, and 1.0 mL of eggs/kg of diet. Conclusions The diet that was most suitable for insect yield and economic viability was the SB diet, followed by the CF and CP diets, in this order.

Feeding on the Fruit Waste Orange Bagasse Modifies Immature Protein Content, Body Weight, Scent Bouquet Composition, and Copula Duration in Males of a Tephritid Frugivorous Fly

“…Many laboratories and facilities around the world use artificial diets in place of fruit to maintain colonies of tephritid pests for research and/or for the application of environmentally friendly methods of pest control, such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which involves rearing massive numbers of flies [20,21]. Artificial larval diet formulations for rearing tephritids are mixtures of ingredients, including sources of nutrients (e.g., inactive dried yeast and sugar), texturizing and bulking agents (e.g., corn cob powder, coconut fiber and cane bagasse), gelling agents (e.g., agar and carrageenan), pH regulators (e.g., citric acid and hydrochloric acid), preservatives (e.g., sodium benzoate and methylparaben), and water [22][23][24]. Some of the bulking agents that have been tested or are used in tephritid larval diet formulations include low-cost by-products, such as coconut fiber in a generic diet for A. ludens, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann), and Anastrepha striata Schiner [25], as well as cane bagasse in Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) diets [24,26].…”

“…Artificial larval diet formulations for rearing tephritids are mixtures of ingredients, including sources of nutrients (e.g., inactive dried yeast and sugar), texturizing and bulking agents (e.g., corn cob powder, coconut fiber and cane bagasse), gelling agents (e.g., agar and carrageenan), pH regulators (e.g., citric acid and hydrochloric acid), preservatives (e.g., sodium benzoate and methylparaben), and water [22][23][24]. Some of the bulking agents that have been tested or are used in tephritid larval diet formulations include low-cost by-products, such as coconut fiber in a generic diet for A. ludens, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), Anastrepha serpentina (Wiedemann), and Anastrepha striata Schiner [25], as well as cane bagasse in Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) diets [24,26]. Using agricultural organic wastes as insect diets is an attractive concept from sustainability and waste management perspectives [27,28], but the idea of using fruit waste as the only larval substrate for the artificial rearing of tephritid fruit flies has not been explored.…”