Use of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) to Detect the Presence
of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann) Larvae in Valencia
Oranges
BACKGROUND: When fruit deteriorates a characteristic profile
of volatile chemicals is produced that is different from that produced by
healthy fruits. The identification of such chemicals allows the possibility of
monitoring the fruit for early signs of deterioration with biological sensors.
The use of honey bees and other insects as biological sensors is well known.
This study aimed to identify the volatiles produced by oranges infested with
larvae of the Mediterranean fruit fly and to test the ability of honey bees,
conditioned to this volatile chemical profile, to detect such oranges.
RESULTS: Seventeen compounds that were present in higher
concentrations in the volatile profiles of infested oranges than in those of
insect-free fruits were mixed at the same relative concentrations as those in
the collected volatiles of infested oranges. The synthetic mixture was used to train
honey bees by classical Pavlovian conditioning and subsequent tests showed that
they were then able to discriminate between medfly-infested and uninfested
oranges.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates an innovative way of
detecting, at an early stage, the symptoms of damage to oranges by the
Mediterranean fruit fly.
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