Field evaluation of methyl eugenol trap for the management of Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel (Diptera: Tephritidae) infesting mango

Oriental fruit fly  Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritida), is the most destructive pest of mango occurring in homesteads of Kerala. The IPM developed by Kerala Agricultural University as well as farmers practice were evaluated under the unique homestead farming systems of Kerala. Analysis on percentage of fruits infested under different treatments revealed that the percentage infestation was significantly reduced during the two years with methyl eugenol trap (1.13 and 1.34 % respectively) which was on par with the chemical control. Combination of control measures adopted did not show any superiority.  Population of B. dorsalis at different stages of the crop  when monitored using bait trap and ME trap, revealed that, the population was minimum at flowering stage increased significantly during fruit set and reached its peak in May - June., at the fruit  ripening stage.