Piaui has a considerable mango area, being a great producer of this fruit. However, the presence of plagues like the fruit flies has provoked great impacts in the production chain, so these insects are part of a responsible group of great economic damages in mango tree culture. The knowledge of the population dynamics and the highest occurrence period of specific insect species of economic importance are indispensable requirement to establish an efficient and rational control. The purpose of the present work was to register the population dynamics of the fruit fly species associated to the mango varieties, as well as correlating the fly occurrence with the monthly averages of temperature, precipitation and relative humidity, and evaluate the food baits used to capture the insects. The research was done from June, 2004 to May, 2005, in mango commercial orchards (Mangifera indica L.-Anacardiaceae), with Tommy Atkins, Keitt, Kent and Palmer varieties, located in José de Freitas-Piauí-Brazil, latitude 04º50'S and longitude 42º41'W. Anastrepha obliqua and Anastrepha serpentina are the predominant fruit fly species in the mango crop.
Anastrepha; Population dynamics; Ecology; Insects; Food baits
