Host marking pheromones in three Ceratitis species (Diptera: Tephritidae) for fruit fly control

Horticultural farming suffers huge economic losses due to fruit fly infestation especially in Africa. Many insects mark their egg laying sites with a chemical, known as Host Marking Pheromone (HMP) to deter conspecific and sometimes heterospecific ovipositing females from over-exploiting these sites. HMPs have been exploited in the management of certain fruit fly species elsewhere although largely unknown for African indigenous fruit flies. This project seeks to address this knowledge gap with the goal to identify HMPs for African fruitfly pests of horticulture that can be integrated into the existing tool box for the management of fruitflies.