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We estimated thermal developmental thresholds (T0) and degree‐day (DD) constants for the immature stages of two tephritid pests, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) and Ceratitis capitata (Weidenmann). Males of both species were trapped in an Egyptian guava orchard during the fruiting seasons of 2016 and 2017 and trap catches were compared with peak flights predicted by the DD model based on local weather data. Ceratitis capitata had faster development than B. zonata at 20 and 25 °C, but their overall developmental rate was similar at 30 and 35 °C. The thermal threshold of development (T0) of B. zonata was higher than that of C. capitata, indicating greater sensitivity to cold. Although 35 °C yielded the fastest development of both species, survival was higher at 30 °C, with B. zonata experiencing a slight advantage, suggesting better tropical adaptation. Immature development of B. zonata and C. capitata was estimated to require 338 and 373 d, respectively, and 616 and 424 DD for a complete generation. Trap catches over both seasons showed good correspondence to peaks of fly activity predicted by the DD models; deviations from expectation ranged from 0 to 7 d for both fly species. Both species had four overlapping generations per season, with B. zonata abundance peaking in the first generation in both years, but only in 2016 for C. capitata. The models predict about eight and 12 generations per year in northeast Egypt for B. zonata and C. capitata, respectively. These models should be useful for timing pest control measures to coincide with periods of peak fly activity in fruit orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae), is a perennial pest of leguminous crops in the Mediterranean region. A life table was constructed for L. trifolii infesting broad bean, Vicia faba L., in northern Egypt. Key factor analysis was used to rank sources of immature mortality over two seasons. Leaf miners had three successive generations, and a partial fourth, in each year, with peak abundance in March-April. Less than 15 and 22% of L. trifolii survived to adult in seasons one and two, respectively. The largest contributor of immature leaf miner mortality in both seasons was unknown (41.2 and 39.1% of total mortality, respectively), and likely comprised a combination of abiotic factors, parasitoid-inflicted mortality (host-feeding), and predation. Parasitism was second, contributing 36.2 and 35.6% of total mortality in the two seasons, respectively, primarily due to larval parasitism by Diglyphus isaea (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), and low levels of larval-pupal parasitism by Opius pallipes Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Halticoptera circulus (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). Residual mortality resulted from malformed pupae or failed adult emergence. Key factor analysis revealed malformation to be the major cause of pupal mortality. Sequential regression confirmed that unknown mortality and D. isaea were the top stage-specific factors, both acting on larvae. Parasitoid abundance tracked host abundance across generations, but density dependence was not observed for any mortality factor, and the magnitudes of regression slopes were small. The results indicate the potential importance of conservation biological control in management of L. trifolii, given that naturally occurring parasitoids and other biotic/abiotic factors exert significant mortality on immature leaf miners.