Best ways to control fruit fly in Watermelon

The Watermelon fruit fly is a common pest that can be found in many different types of places around the world, including warm and moderate climates. It's a big headache for farmers because it can damage a lot of different plants, especially cucurbitaceous veggies like bitter gourd, muskmelon, snap melon, and snake gourd. Depending on the type of vegetable and the time of year, the damage it causes can range from a little bit to a lot.

This pesky fly really likes to go after young, green, and soft fruits. It lays its eggs a few millimeters deep inside the fruit, and the baby flies (maggots) eat the fruit from the inside. After they're done eating, they go into the soil to turn into adult flies, and they can be anywhere from half an inch to 6 inches below the soil surface. This can be a real headache for farmers trying to protect their crops from these little troublemakers.

Identification:

• Type : Pest
• Scientific Name : Bactrocera cucurbitae
• Common Name : Melano fruit fly
• Major affected states : Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu 

Damage causing stages:

• Adult female fruit flies use their sharp ovipositor to pierce the watermelon rind and lay their eggs beneath the surface.
• Hatching eggs develop into legless maggots that burrow deeper into the watermelon flesh, feeding on the developing fruit. Their feeding creates tunnels and cavities, causing internal tissue damage and reducing fruit quality.
• Maggot feeding disrupts nutrient and water transport within the fruit, leading to stunted growth, misshapen fruits, and premature fruit drop.

Favorable conditions for Pest:

• Warm temperatures: Fruit flies have an optimal temperature range for activity and reproduction, typically between 75°F to 85°F (24°C to 29°C). Hotter temperatures can be detrimental for their development.
• High humidity: Humid environments favor egg-laying and maggot survival, as they require moisture for egg development and maggot desiccation prevention.

Symptoms:

Initial Symptoms:

• Look for small (pinprick size), white or yellow dots on the watermelon rind, indicating egg-laying sites. 
• Some mature fruits may drop prematurely due to internal damage caused by maggot feeding.

Severe Symptoms:

• Larger holes or tears may appear on the rind. These openings ooze sap or become discolored, attracting secondary infections.
• Severely infested fruits become misshapen, distorted, and soft to the touch due to extensive internal damage.
• Cutting open infested fruits reveals white or yellowish maggots, typically found feeding near the rind or in the fruit's center.
• Cut-open fruits show extensive tunnels and cavities created by maggot feeding.

Control measures for Fruit fly in Watermelon: