Relationship of Fruit Ripeness to Infestation in ‘Sharwil’ Avocados by the Mediterranean Fruit Fly and the Oriental Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Harvested and unharvested ‘Sharwil’ avocados, Persea Americana Mill., were individually exposed to gravid females of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), or Oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel. Infestations of 0-30% were obtained from avocados exposed at 0-2 postharvest; infestations of 66.7-100% at 3-7 d postharvest. Percent infestations of 15.8 and 4.8% were obtained from unharvested avocados exposed to C. capitata and D. dorsalis, respectively. Mean puparial recoveries ranged from 0 to 4.8 puparia per exposed fruit from the unharvested avocados and avocados exposed at 0-2 d postharvest, and recoveries ranged from 7.7 to 135.5 from avocados exposed at 3-7 postharvest. The hard avocado skin seemed to provide a physical barrier which resulted in lower infestations of both fruit fly species in unharvested avocados, and in avocados that were within 3 d postharvest.