The cherry fly (Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) poses a significant challenge in Ukraine, necessitating continuous monitoring and the implementation of protective measures to mitigate its impact on crop yield. This pest is also common in numerous countries across Europe, Asia, and North America. Colored glue traps have emerged as a key component in the arsenal of control measures against the cherry fly. Specifically, yellow glue traps have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in detecting adult cherry flies and in monitoring the population dynamics of the pest, facilitating the timely application of insecticides and other protective measures. Glue traps have been identified as a viable, environmentally safe measure within organic protection systems. In particular, our studies demonstrated their efficacy against the black plum sawfly.
This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of yellow glue traps for controlling Rhagoletis cerasi in sweet cherry plantations (cv. Amazonka) under the conditions of the northern Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The traps were installed immediately following the onset of flight, which coincided with the change in the color of the early ripening fruits from green to yellow. The experiment involved the deployment of two to seven traps per tree, with no insecticides being applied to the experimental plots.
Depending on weather conditions, the flight period began in the middle to the end of May and lasted until the beginning to the middle of July. With 2-3 traps per tree, the reduction in fruit damage by cherry fly was low. As the number of traps increased, their effectiveness became higher. For variants with four and five traps, the effectiveness of the protective measure ranged from 69.5 to 70.3%. The average number of captured adults was 1,145 and 1,220 imago/trap per season. Further increasing of the number of traps per tree did not lead to a significant increase in efficiency.
In conclusion, the findings of the study indicated that the optimal number of traps for providing effective protection of cherries from the cherry fly ranged from 4 to 5 per tree.
