Olive Fruit Fly Alert

Symptoms:

Fruits get stung which causes dark purplish dots on the fruit followed by mild signs of tissue decomposition due to secondary pathogens. The fruits tend to drop. Infected fruits will develop a water soaked-like appearance.

Who Am I?

Fruit flies are considered a serious pest of olive cultivation with worldwide reports of infestation levels reaching up to 100% in some cases.

Females lay their eggs inside fruits. Larvae feed by tunneling through the interior of fruit. Injured fruits are susceptible to fungi invasion.

Control Measures

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.

*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.

Caution and careful notice should be taken when using any plant protection products (insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides). It is the grower’s sole responsibility to keep track of the legal uses and permissions with respect to the laws in their country and destination markets. Always read the instructions written on labels, and in a case of contradiction, work in accordance to the product label. Keep in mind that information written on the label usually applies to local markets. Pest control products intended for organic farming are generally considered to be less effective in comparison to conventional products. When dealing with organic, biologic, and to some extent a small number of conventional chemical products, a complete eradication of a pest or disease will often require several iterations of a specific treatment or combination of treatments.

Image Gallery