The striped fruit fly, Zeugodacus scutellata., is ubiquitous in agricultural areas, making it a critical pest to monitor and manage. It is necessary to develop a technique for rearing Z. scutellata in the laboratory to achieve mass production for biological control. The pumpkin is an important host plant for Z. scutellata; females lay their eggs on the tops of pumpkin flower buds, and larvae consume the stamens from top to bottom before dropping to the ground. Several types of diets are considered in the present study, including liquid, solid, and semisolid diets. Methyl benzoate, propionic acid, sodium benzoate, and citric acid were tested for their ability to suppress microbial contamination and improve the shelf life of diets. Fresh pumpkin, pumpkin flower, and pumpkin powder were used as primary ingredient. Reared adults were tested for their egg laying and survival abilities based on different diets. Approximately 86% of adults emerged from liquid and semisolid diets. Solid diets reduce pupae production and adult emergence. The diets with a total viability of less than 75% were discarded, which is considered as a reasonable threshold to determine whether a diet is nutritionally sufficient to rear the flies. Based on the results of the present study, we have developed a diet for mass rearing in laboratories, which may assist in providing a scientific basis for the effective control of Z. scutellata.

• Gokulanathan Anandapadmanaban(Plant Quarantine Technology Center, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon) Corresponding author
• (Plant Quarantine Technology Center, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon)
• Youngjin Park(Department of Plant Medicals, Andong National University, Andong)
• Heung-sik Lee(Plant Quarantine Technology Center, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon)