Lethal and sublethal effects of chlorantraniliprole on three species of Rhagoletis fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae).

BACKGROUND Chlorantraniliprole formulated as a 350 g kg(-1) WG (Altacor 35WG) for management of apple maggot Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), blueberry maggot R. mendax Curran and cherry fruit fly R. cingulata (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was evaluated in laboratory assays and field trials. RESULTS A tarsal contact toxicity bioassay showed that a surface residue of 500 mg L(-1) of chlorantraniliprole caused significantly higher mortality of male and female flies of all species compared with a control. Male apple maggot and blueberry maggot mortality was significantly higher than that for females, but there was similar mortality of male and female cherry fruit flies. An ingestion toxicity bioassay showed that 500 mg L(-1) of chlorantraniliprole in diet caused significantly higher mortality of male and female flies of all species than the control, but there were no significant differences among the sexes. Delayed egglaying by females that had ingested chlorantraniliprole was found, but there were no significant sublethal effects on either the number of eggs laid or the egg hatch. Field trials with apple maggot and cherry fruit fly showed that protection of fruit by chlorantraniliprole was comparable with that of standard broad-spectrum insecticides. CONCLUSIONS The present data indicate that chlorantraniliprole has suppressant activity against Rhagoletis fruit flies, preventing fruit infestation primarily through direct lethal effects.