Management of the vinegar fruit fly, Drosophila auraria Peng (Drosophilidae: Diptera) infesting fresh cherry fruits

Twenty varieties of cherry grown at Kalam Summer Station were screened for resistance to D. auraria. Varieties, Anella Durone, Williams Favourate, Sweat Heart and Durone -I, had the lowest fruit infestation (damaged fruits) (≤ 5%) recorded early in the season; however, no larvae were found inside the fruits. Magda, Sasha, Colney and Lapins had the highest fruit infestation (≥ 20%); Lapins had infested fruits only on the first sampling date. An "attract and kill" management strategy was used for D. auraria and baited bowl traps with attractants (half-rotten fruit and trichlorofon) were developed. bowl traps with melon attracted more adults compared to banana. the additive (raw sugar) significantly reduced the bowl trap's efficacy of attracting D. auraria adults regardless of whether melon or banana was used. A bowl trap with melon and 3–5 g of Trichlorofon is, therefore, recommended for the management of the fruit flies in cherry with a frequency of 20 traps per 100 plants. Installing of traps should be initiated from first-second week of May (just before the fruits starts changing color).