Tephritid flies released in sterile insect technique pest management programs are usually marked with
fluorescent dyes so that they can be distinguished from wild flies in monitoring traps.
Dyes can have adverse effects on emergence, quality, and survival, which can impact sterile insect technique (SIT) success, and so it is important to identify
dyes and doses that maximize marking efficacy while minimizing deleterious effects on fly quality. This study examines the effects of five
fluorescent dye products, Fluoro Pink, Fluoro Orange, Stella Green,
Arc Chrome, and Astral Pink applied at four dose levels (1, 2, 3, and 4 g/liter) on Queensland fruit fly. All
dye products caused a similar dose-dependent reduction in percentage of adult emergence. Incidence of morphological
deformity of emerged adults increased with dose, and this trend was similar for all
dye products. No effects of
dye product or dose were found on survival rates over the first 35 d of adulthood, although females tended to have higher survival than males. Visibility varied with dose and
dye product; 1 g/liter
dye was less visible than 2, 3, or 4 g/liter, and Stella green had lower visibility than other
dyes. All of the tested
dyes except for Stella green were similar in all assessed metrics of fly performance and are recommended for use in SIT programs.