Co-Existence of Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Ceratitis cosyra Walker (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the Mango Orchards in Western Burkina Faso

Abstract

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are one of the insect groups that menace the horticultural sector in sub Saharan Africa. The main fruit fly species that caused mango fruits (Mangifera indica L.) damage in Western Burkina Faso include Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel and Ceratitis cosyra Walker. This work was carried out in Western Burkina Faso to study the relationships between these two insect pests on mango fruits in mango orchards. Thirty mango fruits per variety were sampled in six mango orchards every two weeks during two consecutive mango seasons (2017 and 2018). Each mango fruit was incubated individually for the emergence of adult fruit flies. Bactrocera dorsalis accounted for 66.30% of fruit flies reared from mango fruits and C. cosyra was represented by 33.52% of adult flies. Among mango fruits infested by fruit flies, 53.50% were attacked only by B. dorsalis, 22.14% by C. cosyra and 20.35% were infested by both species. In the mango fruits co-infested, 54.03% of adults belonged to B. dorsalis and 45.96% of adults were individuals of the C. cosyra species. The infestation rates of C. cosyra were higher at the beginning of the mango season while those of B. dorsalis were zero, and vice-versa at the end of mango season. This study highlights the relatively stable co-existence between these two major insect pests of mango fruits in mango orchards in Western Burkina Faso.