The
olive fly, Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is
the most important insect pest of olives in most of the Mediterranean
region. It
also occurs in olives in the subsaharan region of Africa where
it has been collected most commonly in
association with wild and cultivated olives in South Africa. The
olive fly was introduced to southern California in 1998 and has
spread quickly throughout the olive-growing regions of the state.
California produces virtually all of the commercial olives in
the United States, and the introduction of this multivoltine species
poses a serious economic threat to the industry. Following introduction
and establishment of the olive fly in California, the potential
for biological control was evaluated as a tactic for dealing with
this pest. Psyttalia concolor (Szepligeti), a parasitic wasp mass
reared in the Mediterranean for periodic releases against the
olive fly, was shipped to California from cultures in Hawaii and
Guatemala and released at several localities in California. One
of the objectives of the research conducted under this project
is to identify material shipped to California for release against
the olive fly. Other objectives include identification of parasitoids
collected from olives in California following release of natural
enemies, systematics research as needed on olive fly parasitoids
(including development of DNA markers), and development of a web
site that provides information on olive fly parasitoids including
information on their identification, distribution, alternate hosts,
and associated literature.
