Foliar, Fruit, and Soil-Applied Organic Insecticides for Oriental Fruit Fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae), in Senegalese Mangoes

Abstract

Since its invasion in Senegal (West Africa) in 2004, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel, the oriental fruit fly, has caused loss of production of mango and other commercial fruits. The use of neem products (oil, cake, and seed powder) and kaolin may be an alternative to synthetic insecticides for controlling adult flies and larval-pupal stages and may contribute to integrated pest management tactics. In the laboratory, neem oil-treated fruit had the same number of landings and time spent on treated fruit as the control but showed reduced pupal development. Females selected kaolin-treated fruits for landing less often, with reduced pupal development. Soil treatment with neem cake and neem seed powder reduced pupal survival. In the field, neem treatment had a greater number of infested fruits and greater pupal development than the control, but fewer flies emerged. Kaolin was not different from the control in percent of infested fruits or pupal development, but fewer flies emerged. Neem cake and neem seed powder were found to lose efficacy in the field.