Asynchrony of mating behavior of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Gmel.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) with host (olive tree) phenology in Northern California

The olive fruit fly (OLF) is an oligophagous insect. The extremely narrow range of hosts available to it in this area led us to hypothesize that its reproductive behavior should be synchronous with its host, the olive tree. However, three years of field data show something different in Northern California. Comparisons of fly catches from pheromone traps and yeast traps show that even though the OLF is present at certain times of the year in the field, the males are not caught by traps baited with synthetic pheromone. Peak catches of males in pheromone traps are limited to the spring (April-May) and the fall (November). However, in spring, the only olives available for oviposition are those of the previous year’s crop (very low quality for survival of OLF) and the next batch of suitable fruit will be available no sooner than mid-July. In the fall, most olives have already been infested by October and it is also harvest time of the crop. Understanding the mating biology of OLF is a necessary step for the development of environmentally sound control techniques such as mating disruption.