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The melon fly is one of the most unpleasant pests of any melon crops. The source of nutrition for both larvae and adults (adults) of this insect are plants of the gourd genus. This pest has a relatively long life cycle and is capable of reproducing multiple times during the season. Melon fly infestations are a serious threat to any cucurbit growing.
What does a melon fly look like
Outwardly, the melon fly is an unremarkable insect, of which there are many flying in the summer garden. This is a medium-sized fly, predominantly pale-yellow, less often brownish in color. The body length of the insect is about 0,6-0,7 cm, the wingspan is about 0,5 cm.
The head and body of the insect have slightly different shades. Usually the color of the head is brighter. The eyes, located at the edges of the head, are at a relatively large distance from each other, in contrast to the common fly, in which they practically converge at the top of the head. On the head of the insect there is a pair of short antennae.
The body of the fly is covered with dense hairs of short length. The wings are of the usual dipteran shape. They show four transverse yellow stripes. A photo of a melon fly is shown below.
Insect larvae have the usual shape for flies. Their body is cylindrical. The color of the larvae is dirty yellow or off-white. A slightly pronounced taper is noticeable: towards the posterior end, the larva can be significantly expanded.
When the larva reaches a size of about 1 cm, it pupates. The pupae are dark yellow, almost brown. Their size is about a third less than the size of the “adult” larva. It is rare that the pupae of this pest are larger than 8 mm.
Life cycle and reproduction features
This species of flies is extremely prolific. The life span of adults is about two months. During this time, one female is able to lay more than a hundred eggs.
The first spring year of the melon fly coincides with the formation of the first fruits, although the females are capable of reproduction already on the 10th day of their life. Usually, they lay eggs as soon as the temperature rises above + 20-22 °C.
Females lay eggs in fruits to a depth of 2-3 mm. Usually one egg is laid in one fruit.
The larvae hatch from the eggs within 48 hours. Leaving the shell, they go deep into the fetus and begin to actively feed. For food, the larva consumes melon juice and any kind of fruit tissue: pulp, fiber or seeds.
During the larval stage, up to 3 larval molts occur. The duration of the larval phase of the insect is from 1 to 2 weeks, in autumn – up to 2,5 weeks.
When the time of pupation comes, the larva leaves the fruit and burrows into the ground to a depth of 13-15 cm. The pupa matures for about 3 weeks, after which an adult insect is formed from it, which is ready for reproduction in 1-2 days. In total, up to 3 generations of flies can appear in a season.
In which melon does the melon fly lay its eggs?
Especially vulnerable to flies are young or newly formed fruits, the skin of which is not yet dense enough. Large fruits, as a rule, do not attract flies.
In some cases, infection of large fruits may also occur. This happens if there are deep enough cracks on their skin. If there are many cracks, several different flies can lay eggs in a large fruit.
What does the melon fly eat?
The nutrition of adult insects is carried out by sucking the juices of the plants on which they parasitize. At the same time, the feeding pattern of insects is very interesting and depends on the sex of the adult.
Females are able to make small holes on the peel of the fruit or on the shoots, from which, after a while, juice begins to stand out, which they drink with the help of a proboscis.
Males do not have such sharp “teeth” on their proboscis to make holes, but they are able to find holes made by females and drink juice from them with their long proboscis.
The nutrition of adult individuals of individuals has practically no effect on the life of plants, since the amount of juice they consume is negligible. As a rule, the plant loses much more fluid from various mechanical damage.
The main pest is the melon fly larvae. They damage the fruit from the inside (eating away the pulp and seeds), making it unfit for consumption, and inhibit the formation of seeds. The larvae can cause a significant reduction in crop quality in any area where they appear.
Habitat
The insect has a wide distribution area. Mostly, these are the climatic zones of the subtropics and mild temperate climate.
The African melon fly is widespread in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, in the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is distributed in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan.
The Middle East is also suffering from a population of these flies. They are common in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, Syria.
Even in the south of Asia, you can meet the melon fly. Here it “terrorizes” the agriculture of India and Pakistan.
The appearance of a fly is noted on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, and southern Our Country.
What is dangerous insect
The main danger of the melon fly lies in its high fecundity. This insect is capable of destroying from 70 to 100% of the crop of gourds. In addition to traditional melons, watermelons and pumpkins, this pest can threaten about a hundred other plants.
How to determine the appearance of a pest in the beds
The first signs of fruit infestation with parasites are the appearance on them of many small specks or tubercles that form in places where females bite through the skin. Spots and tubercles have a characteristic brown tint.
When the larvae already enter the active phase of life, more noticeable traces of damage appear – the fruits begin to rot, and this becomes noticeable quite quickly, 4-5 days after the larvae hatch from the eggs.
Is it possible to eat melons infected with a melon fly
Despite the fact that the melon fly is not dangerous for humans, it is still not worth eating fruits affected by it. A small amount of waste products of the larvae, as well as the pulp damaged by them, cause mild diarrhea.
In more severe cases, there is slight dehydration.
How to deal with melon fly
If infected fruits are found, they should be plucked and destroyed as soon as possible (it is best to burn). If the lesion has become widespread, it is recommended to treat the plants with an insecticide, for example, Karbofos or Fufanon. Further it is recommended to repeat the treatment after 2 weeks.
A set of preventive measures
Prevention against insects is standard. Since the pupae “ripen” in the soil, regular weeding and loosening of the soil should be carried out in order to bring the pupae to the surface, where they will be destroyed by birds or other insects.
In some regions of Transcaucasia, an original method is used – burying fruits that have reached 3-5 cm in diameter into the ground, then melons form under a layer of soil and flies cannot reach them. An option for such prevention is to fall asleep fruits in the beds with a layer of wood ash.
Chemical prophylaxis of melons is also used. For these purposes, Zenith products are used (in concentrations of 0,25 liters per 10 liters of water) or Rapier (2 liters of solution per 1 ha). Spraying with drugs is carried out twice per season. The plants are subjected to the first treatment in early spring, immediately after the formation of the first leaves, the second treatment is carried out after the formation of the first loops.
In addition, as a preventive measure, the use of insecticides such as Decis or Arrivo is recommended. When using these drugs, you must follow the instructions exactly.
An effective remedy is planting repellent plants near melons – castor bean or calendula.
In some cases, filling melons with repellents – ash, tobacco dust and others helps.
An earlier planting is also recommended so that the fruits have time to form and “grow” with a thick skin before the first summer of melon flies.
Conclusion
The melon fly is a serious pest of most melon crops. Throughout the distribution area, it is being fought with varying success, and a person does not always win in it. The combination of the correct agrotechnics of melons with the use of chemicals is the only effective method for the successful fight against this pest.
