POPULATION DYNAMICS OF FRUIT FLY (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE) SPECIES ASSOCIATED WITH MANGO IN THE GUINEA SAVANNA AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONE OF GHANA

Abstract

Fruit flies are a major threat to the mango industry in Ghana. Effective control of these flies requires understanding the dynamics in the population of the species present. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the population dynamics of fruit fly species associated with mango in the Guinea Savanna Agro-ecological zone of Ghana. Traps baited with methyl eugenol, terpinyl acetate, and trimedlure and the killing agent Dimethyl 2, 2-DichloroVinyl Phosphate were used to trap the flies. A total of 6,889 fruit flies belonging to the genera Bactrocera and Ceratitis were captured during the study. Ceratitis cosyra was the dominant species recorded in traps and from incubated fruits during the dry and main fruiting periods of January to April, while Bactrocera invadens was the dominant species recorded during the wet and towards the end of the mango season of May to November. Populations of C. cosyra were positively correlated with temperature but negatively correlated with relative humidity, while populations of B. invadens were positively correlated with relative humidity but negatively correlated with temperature. These findings demonstrate that fruit fly management in the study area should be targeted at C. cosyra during the dry periods and B. invadens during the wet season.