Temporal and Seasonal Differences in Movement of the Caribbean Fruit Fly Larvae in Grapefruit and the Relationship to Detection by Acoustics

Larvae of the Caribbean fruit fly Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) can be detected by the sounds they make while feeding using an acoustical detection system. Efforts to improve and determine the efficiency of the system led to detailed studies of the feeding behavior of larvae in grapefruit. Movement, feeding and growth are related to the maturity of the fruit. As the fruit matured, it became more sweet and larvae fed more consistently and voraciously, moved into the pulp portion earlier, and developed more rapidly. Larvae were detected within hours after they hatched from eggs, when they are often too small to be seen in the fruit with the unaided eye. The efficiency of the system in detecting infested fruit has been demonstrated to be more efficient than the accepted method of cutting and visual examination.