Seasonal and annual distribution of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Honolulu and suburban areas of Oahu, Hawaii

Several methods were employed in monitoring the geographical, seasonal, and annual distributions of Mediterranean fruit fly populations over a seven-year period in Hawaii. Traps containing a male lure were set to catch flies, and host fruits were periodically collected to detect infested fruits in Honolulu and leeward and windward residential areas of the Koolau Mountains of Oahu. The medflies often coexisted in fruit samples with the oriental fruit fly, with more of the latter than medflies reared. Medflies were virtually absent from wet leeward and windward areas of Kaneohe and Kahalua. The findings indicated that medfly host plants were highly variable in distribution, abundance, and fruiting cycle among seasons and years because of climatic factors.