Mating Behaviour of the Oriental Fruit Moth, Grapholitha molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae)

Abstract

Experiments and observations on Oriental fruit moths in cages and in a peach orchard showed that both males and females may mate more than once. The maximum recorded number of matings was 7 for males and 5 for females. Mating usually occurred in the late afternoon and early evening during the daily flight and egg-laying period. Males seldom mated oftener than once in 24 hours and they transferred only one spermatophore to the female per mating. In cages, males mated approximately 1.4 times each when confined with equal numbers of females. Of the females taken in bait traps in a peach orchard, an average of 2.9% had not mated, 78.8% had mated once, 14.6% twice, and 3.7% more than twice. The mating behaviour of the Oriental fruit moth was shown to be similar to that of the codling moth.