POPULATION DYNAMICS OF BACTROCERA OLEAE ADULTS IN CENTRAL ITALY

The authors monitored the population density of olive fruit fly adults starting after harvest time in 2002, and by weekly capturing for the whole 2003-year period.
The matter of investigation took place from the exceptional infestation occurred in 2002. In that year the olive-fruit fly began its activity very early in the season by ovipositing before the usual period when kernel should had to be already hardened and lignified.
The favourable seasonal weather conditions contributed to the increasing of infestation by allowing the pest to complete third generation as adults, instead of pupating into the soil for overwintering.
Then, all flying adults were decimated by cold temperature of the winter, so no large fly population was found in the successive olive production season.
Long-term adults’ population dynamics is presented in this paper, as well as, normal and altered biological cycles, in order to better defining the bioecology of Bactrocera oleae.

V International Symposium on Olive Growing

A.F. Spanedda, A. Terrosi

olive-fruit fly, biological cycle, climatic factors, number of generations

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.791.94