LAUSR

The olive fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), is the main pest of olive, a host tree that thrives under conditions of high and direct sun exposure. Although the effect of the olive fruit on the reproduction of the fly has been studied to some extent, there is little knowledge on the effect of light. In the present work, we studied the effect of the presence of olive fruit and light intensity on mating and subsequent egg production of olive flies at 25°C and a photoperiod regime of L : D 16 : 8. The results showed that contact of the adults with the fruit, or exposure to fruit odours, favoured both the extent and the duration of mating. This effect was higher at low than at high light intensity. However, egg production following female access to olive fruit was more favoured by high light intensity. Our results also showed that fruit contact and/or volatile fruit stimuli significantly affect mating and egg production of the olive fly, and that this influence is modulated by light conditions. The results contribute to a better understanding of the reproductive behaviour and population dynamics of the olive fly. On a more practical scale, the results provide important insights into how to improve mass rearing of the fly.