Susceptibility of Diapausing Pupae of the Western Cherry Fruit Fly (Diptera:Tephritidae) and a Parasite (Hymenoptera:Diapriidae) to Subfreezing Temperatures1

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Abstract
The diapausing pupae of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran, and its major parasite, Psilus sp., were exposed to different temperatures for various lengths of time to determine their susceptibility to extreme cold temperatures. Both the fruit fly and the parasite showed a high degree of tolerance to sub-freezing temperatures. They survived almost all tested (16–48 days) exposures at −4°C, and certain shorter (16–36 days in non-soil and 16–48 days in soil) exposures at −10°C. The exposure of both these groups of insects to −16°C resulted in high mortality (82–100%) and a drastic reduction in adult emergence. Data indicate that temperature fluctuation during winter months might give a reasonable predictive indication of the size of the cherry fruit fly population for the following summer.

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