TRAPS MALE LURES AND A WARNING SYSTEM FOR QUEENSLAND FRUIT FLY DACUS TRYONI (FROGG) (DIPTERA TRYPETIDAE)

The attractiveness of eight prospective lures for male Queensland fruit fly was tested in a simple olfactometer. Six of these compounds were found to be attractive and these were ranked in field trials in which traps were baited with a mixture of each lure and malathion. Trap catches varied with lure, trapping site, weather (including wind speed), and season. Cue lure, 4-(p-acetoxyphenyl)butan-2-one, was the most attractive compound. Baits made by mixing cue lure and malathion were of unchanged attractiveness after more than 6 months but mixtures of cue lure and DDVP declined in attractiveness within 6-12 days. Funnel traps baited with cue lure and malathion and spaced 0-4 km apart in a square grid pattern caught 4 T % of newly emergent flies and 9% of mature flies (2-3 weeks old) released in the centre of the grid. The use of such a grid in early warning systems is discussed. © 1969 CSIRO. All rights reserved.