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The melon fly is one of the most unpleasant pests of any melon crops. The food source for both larvae and adults (imago) of this insect are plants of the genus Cucurbitaceae. This pest has a relatively long life cycle and is capable of reproducing multiple times throughout the season. Melon fly infestations are a serious threat to the cultivation of any pumpkin crop.
What does a melon fly look like?
Outwardly, the melon fly is an unremarkable insect, of which there are many that fly in the summer garden. This is a medium-sized fly, predominantly pale-yellow, less often brownish in color. The insect's body length is about 0.6-0.7 cm, its wingspan is about 0.5 cm.
The head and body of the insect have slightly different shades. Usually the head color is brighter. The eyes, located at the edges of the head, are located 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. The insect has a pair of short antennae on its head.
The body of the fly is covered with dense short hairs. The wings have the usual shape for dipterans. They show four transverse yellow stripes. A photo of the 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 dirty white. A slight 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 smaller than the size of an “adult” larva. It is rare that the pupae of this pest are larger than 8 mm.
Life cycle and reproduction characteristics
This type of fly is extremely prolific. The lifespan of adults is about two months. During this time, one female is capable of laying more than a hundred eggs.
The first spring flight of the melon fly coincides with the formation of the first fruits, although 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.
Larvae hatch from eggs within 48 hours. Leaving the shell, they go deeper inside the fruit and begin to actively feed. The larva eats melon juice and any type of fruit tissue: pulp, fiber or seeds.
During the larval stage, up to 3 larval moults 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 comes for pupation, the larva leaves the fruit and burrows into the ground to a depth of 13-15 cm. The pupa matures in about 3 weeks, after which an adult insect is formed from it, which is ready for reproduction in 1-2 days. In just one season, up to 3 generations of flies can appear.
In which melon does the melon fly lay eggs?
Young or newly formed fruits, whose skin is not yet thick enough, are especially vulnerable to flies. 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 in their skin. If there are many cracks, several different flies can lay eggs in a large fruit.
What does the melon fly eat?
Adult insects feed 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 be released, which they drink with the help of their proboscis.
Males do not have the sharp “teeth” on their proboscis to make holes, but they are able to find holes made by females and drink juice from them using their long proboscis.
The nutrition of adult individuals has practically no effect on the life of plants, since the amount of juices they consume is negligible. As a rule, the plant loses much more liquid from various mechanical damage.
The main pest is the larvae of the melon fly. 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. Mainly, these are climatic zones of subtropics and mild temperate climates.
The African melon fly is widespread in the countries of the Mediterranean Sea, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is widespread in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The Middle East also suffers from populations of these flies. They are common in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, Syria.
Even in southern Asia you can find the melon fly. Here it is “terrorizing” the agriculture of India and Pakistan.
The appearance of the fly has been observed in Ukraine, Moldova, and southern Russia.
Why is an insect dangerous?
The main danger of the melon fly is its high fertility. This insect can destroy from 70 to 100% of the melon crop.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 infection by parasites are the appearance of many small spots or tubercles on them, formed in places where the females bite through the skin. The spots and bumps have a characteristic brown tint.
When the larvae 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 the melon fly?
Despite the fact that the melon fly does not pose a danger to humans, eating fruits affected by it is still not worth 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, slight dehydration is observed.
How to deal with melon fly
If infected fruits are found, they should be picked and destroyed as soon as possible (it is best to burn them). If the damage has become widespread, it is recommended to treat the plants with an insecticide, for example, Karbofos or Fufanon. It is then recommended to repeat the treatment after 2 weeks.
Set of preventive measures
Prevention against insects is standard. Since the pupae “mature” in the soil, weeding and loosening of the soil should be carried out regularly 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 cover the fruits in the beds with a layer of wood ash.
Chemical prophylaxis of melons is also used. For these purposes, Zenit 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 preparations is carried out twice per season. Plants undergo 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 preventative measure, the use of insecticides such as Decis or Arrivo is recommended. When using these medications, you must strictly follow the instructions.
An effective remedy is to plant repellent plants near the melon - castor beans or calendula.
In some cases, filling the melon with repellents - ash, tobacco dust and others - helps.
It is also recommended to plant plants earlier 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 its distribution area, it is being fought with varying success, and humans do not always win it. The combination of proper agricultural technology for melons and the use of chemicals is the only effective method for successfully combating this pest.
