Olive Fruit Fly

Wild olive and phillyrea

Adults are 4-6 mm long, bright brown and honey colored. Adults start to emerge from the soil generally from June. The fruits begin to become suitable for laying eggs end of June. The females mating at this time lay their eggs primarily on large, shiny and oily olive fruits.

In places where the population is high, 7-9 eggs can be laid on an olive fruit by different females. The place where the egg is laid turns dark brown after a day, this is called “puncture”.

Olive fly is harmful in the larval stage and fruit flesh. The larva feeds by opening galleries around the core during development.

The traps are hung in the south direction of the trees, 1-2 m above the ground, in June. Trap checking is carried out regularly. In case of population increase, the control method to be applied is decided.

When an increase in population is detected in the monitoring traps, the number of traps is increased to be 15-20 m 1 during the period when olive fruits begin to oil.