Attract and Kill for the control of olive fruit fly in Alto Garda, Trentino

Alto Garda Trentino, in northern Italy, is an important economic touristic area characterized by the insubric climate typical of the Lake Garda basin. Good quality oil came from the local olive groves and the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae Rossi) represent a serious and potentially devastating threat. The insect outbreaks have increased over the last decade. One objective of the project named “Innovazione e Ricerca per l'Olio Extravergine dell'Alto Garda Trentino” was to evaluate the effectiveness of Attract and Kill products; Eco-Trap (Vioryl), Spintor Fly (Dow AgroSciences) and a device for mass trapping, Flypack (SEDQ). A three year experiment (from 2016 to 2018) was set up in a Casaliva olive orchard located in monte Brione (Riva del Garda, TN). In 2016 at harvest, 49% of olives were infested on the untreated area. Spintor Fly gave the best protection (mean 5% of fruit infested) and Eco-Trap gave intermediate protection (24%). The fruit damage in the untreated gradually lowered in the next two years (42 and 25% respectively) and the tested products (Eco-Trap, Spintor Fly, Flypack) showed similar, good, results (5% or less of fruit infested). The attract and Kill technique has the potential to reduce pollution, residues, resistance, drift and side effects on beneficial arthropods. For good efficacy it should be applied at low infestations and repeated area-wide applications over years for satisfactory pest control. Constant monitoring of the climatic and the insect flight, good agronomic practices and predicting harvest date in case of high infestations remain of fundamental importance for guaranteed crop yields