Bait type and presentation strategies for monitoring and management of Serrodes partita (Fabricius), and other fruit-feeding moth populations in citrus orchards

The fruit-piercing moth, Serrodes partita (Fabricius), is an economically important pest of citrus and other commercial fruit in South Africa, particularly during outbreaks. Adults puncture fruit to feed, causing direct damage and fruit decay. Other fruit-feeding moth species may also be attracted to damaged fruit, contributing to the overall fruit-feeding moth complex. This study evaluated bait types, bait presentation methods and trap designs to develop an effective trapping system for S. partita and other fruit-feeding moths under citrus orchard conditions. Fresh banana consistently outperformed the synthetic and banana-derived attractants evaluated. In the bait trial, fresh banana captured approximately 4.2-, 5.0-, and 25.0-fold more S. partita than banana essence and two Australian proprietary synthetic bait formulations, respectively. Combining banana with agar maintained its attractiveness to other fruit-feeding moths, with captures approximately 1.8- and 2.2-fold higher than those for fresh banana and banana formulated with a superabsorbent polymer, respectively. Funnel traps consistently outperformed bucket, delta and disc traps. Modification of the funnel trap with an electric grid further increased captures of other fruit-feeding moths approximately 4.3-fold relative to conventional funnel traps. These results demonstrate that fresh banana and banana and agar combined are effective attractants, and that the funnel trap is the most effective trap design of those investigated. These relatively simple and potentially low-cost components provide a practical basis for improved monitoring of fruit-feeding moths and for managing outbreak populations in commercial orchards.