Raspberry ketone formate as an attractant for the melon fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)1

Abstract

Cuelure, the acetate of raspberry ketone, has been the standard melon fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) attractant for at least 40 yrs. A closely related compound, raspberry ketone formate, is somewhat more volatile and has been found to be at least 1.7 times more attractive to both sterile and wild melon flies in field tests conducted in Hawaii, consistently outperforming cuelure for periods exceeding one month.