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A starter diet for mass‐rearing larvae of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.)

Four starter diets (500 eggs/g diet) for rearing the larvae of Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) were assessed in small‐scale laboratory tests. When used for the initial 2 days of larval development bran‐ and Torula yeast‐based starter diets proved the most satisfactory when compared against a bran reference diet (25 eggs/g diet), in terms of larval survival and development time. Surface‐feeding area, larval density, age of bulk diet and final‐rearing temperature were not significantly important to the performance of one or both of these starter diets. At mass‐rearing levels, the bran‐based starter diet proved equivalent to the bran reference diet in terms of larval survival but average development time was protracted (ca. 5.5 h). No differences (P > 0.05) were found in the quality of flies produced with regard to size,% emergence,% flight ability, number of eggs/♀/day,% egg hatch or cumulative% ♂/♀ mortality. Citric acid at 1.12% of the starter diet (pH 4.2), as opposed to half this proportion as in the reference diet (pH 4.9), was necessary to achieve satisfactory larval survival and development time. The bran‐bulk diet on which larval development was completed required an acid component (0.56%) and was unsatisfactory if not included.