TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF FEEDING BY CARIBBEAN FRUIT-FLIES (DIPTERA, TEPHRITIDAE) ON SUCROSE AND HYDROLYZED YEAST

Caged Caribbean fruit flies, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), held overnight without food fed more often on hydrolyzed brewers yeast and on sugar during the early morning than at any other time of the day. Flies provided yeast or sucrose overnight still fed principally during the morning hours on the following day. Both male and female consumption of 0.1 M sucrose solution was initially low when flies were 1 d old but increased daily until 1 wk after emergence and remained high thereafter. Consumption of yeast solution during the same time period increased over the first 5 d for both sexes, peaked 6 d after emergence, and fell off thereafter. Maximal rates of consumption of yeast solution were much higher, however, for females than for males. Peak yeast consumption in females coincided with a period of rapid ovarian development.