Symptoms appear only on the fruit. It begins by a tiny, sting dot on the peel, soon followed by mild signs of tissue decomposition due to secondary pathogens. Young infected fruits tend to drop. With time, infected fruits will develop a water soaked like appearance.
Females lay their eggs inside fruits, and the larvae feed by tunneling through the interior of fruit. Injured fruits become susceptible to fungi invasion. Yield damage could easily climb above 50%.
Scout your field on a regular basis. Look for fruits that appear they’ve been stung. If you have monitoring traps (not the same as capturing devices) check them for a better understanding of infestation levels.
Depending upon the host, destination market, timing, and progression of season, some levels of infestation might be considered tolerable.
Crops growing inside closed greenhouses or net structures will be safer than crops growing outdoors or unprotected. Closed structure should be pre-checked for existing breaches and fixed as soon as possible.
*Names marked in red are considered to be highly poisonous to beneficial insects.
*Names marked in green are considered to be organic and IPM (integrated pest management) compatible.