Sexual performance and survival of males of Ceratitis capitata VIENNA 8 (Diptera: Tephritidae) inoculated with a commercial formulation of Beauveria bassiana

Abstract The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a polyphagous pest that feeds upon more than 300 host plants, including fruits and vegetables. To eradicate this pest, the Mexican program (Programa Moscamed) targeting fruit flies applied a novel approach that works with the sterile insect technique (SIT) by inoculating sterile flies with fungal spores of a commercial formulation of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin. Dissemination occurs through contact with the sterile insect with wild populations. However, the fungus is known to reduce the homeostatic condition of the vector (sexual and aggressive interactions) to the point that it affects physical contact with the receptor. The objective was to evaluate the effect of B. bassiana on the sexual performance and survival of sterile males of the C. capitata strain VIENNA 8. Mating competition, induction of sterility, production of the sexual pheromone and survival were compared between inoculated and non‐inoculated sterile males. The parameters evaluated were fundamental to evaluate the success in the SIT. The results of the study indicated that the inoculated males with B. bassiana showed a gradual decrease in sexual performance (mating, induction of sterility and production of the sexual pheromone) and survival after treatment. We conclude that for SIT release programs, the effectiveness of targeted males is up to 5 days post‐inoculation. The implications of this biological control method in SIT are discussed.