The MGS Forum
Gardening in mediterranean climates => Pests and diseases => Topic started by: David Bracey on December 18, 2011, 11:28:54 AM
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Marilyn the new 2012 catalogue for "Graines Baumaux" on page 262 advertises "Pieges à Pheromone, Mouche de l `olive" ie olive fly pheromone traps. I have no idea if they work. I suspect you will need quite a lot of pheromone (traps) to flood an outdoor space to be effective which, of course is the reason these things have not caught on. I remember commercial growers used to spray one side of the olive tree but I forget why. Maybe it has something to do with prevailing winds or effectiveness of the CHEMICAL.
Anyhow it should be worth a try. They do export. Their website is www.baumaux.com. Let us know what happens since this is a problem for many amateur growers.
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Ah! Only now seen these two replies, thanks for that. Will give both links a look.
Also, as luck would have it, I have a new colleague who has done some work experience in an organic grove in California and has come up with a few suggestions, mostly trap-based. These appear quite simple to DIY; for example a plastic bottle containing a little water and a yeast tablet as an attractant will apparently catch a fairly significant number of flies. A covering of manure or mulch, or a plant layer - oregano, creeping thyme, chamomile - is reported to help reduce the number of larvae overwintering in the ground.
Will report back with any news.
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These bugs ruined some of my roses whilst still in their pots two years ago. :o
Luckily, there were not so many around last year, but I would like to know what they are and if there is any way of mitigating their effect, if they come back in force this year.
Here they are on Cosmos peucedanifolius which they also ruined. :'( :'(
Daisy :)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/P6070092-1.jpg)
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Daisy, I don't know these bugs myself, but I doubt if you'll be able to deal with them using a pesticide - as they feed on your flowers, any pesticide you used that dealt with them would also be toxic to beneficial pollinators.
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Daisy, maybe a beetle in the genus Oxythyrea ? One is called the White-spotted rose beetle (Oxythyrea funesta), but there are many other look-a-likes as well (Oxythyrea abigail, Oxythyrea cinctella, Oxythyrea noemi and Oxythyrea albopicta).
I saw something similar in Israel, in the Poleg Stream natural reserve
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Daisy,
To generalize, we are talking about 'pollen beetles' and 'flower chafers', terms that cover quite a range of beetles.
The pollen beetles are mainly in the Nitidulidae and Kateretidae. They are small.
The flower chafers have the general appearance of scarabs (Scarabaeidae) but are in its subfamily Cetoniinae. These are larger. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetoniinae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetoniinae) Your particular beetles are in this taxon.
It is not just the adults: the larvae can be found on flowers, too.
If you Google 'pollen beetles' and flower chafers', you'll find quite a lot of info to sift through regarding their control.
Syngenta make a product called Plenum, but it kills bees as well. I don't know if you will find anything that will kill or deter just the beetles - as Alisdair says.
Also, as the beetles are mobile and spasmodically prolific; I don't know if natural predators could be effective, at least on the scale of a garden. But specific ladybirds are used as biological control of some smaller pollen beetles (http://www.greenplantprotection.eu/pests/field_crops/rape/meligethes_aeneus/pollen_beetle), and wolf spiders are known to predate them - so maybe there's hope.
Do tell us what you decide to do, and if you try a remedy, keep us posted on progress!
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Daisy, your best bet is to spray after the pollinators have stopped their work ie late evening and to use Bacillus thuringiensis which is primarily active against larvae however there is a good effect against some coleoptera spp.
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I am pretty sure this visitor is the white-spotted rose beetle or a close relative, which, as Mike says, is belonging to the family Cetoniidae. It does not restrict itself to a pollen diet, but will attack the rest of the roses and many other plants as well. There is actually not much litterature on efficient insecticide control, but there are several references to studies on the use of bait traps, (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261219410001353 and a recent doctoral thesis from Hungary: http://teo.elte.hu/minosites/tezis2010_angol/j_vuts.pdf), some of them using agents like lavandulol. These are not yet commercially available, so maybe you have to stick to mechanical (manual) means? which does not sound so easy.
Do you have piles of firewood in your garden? They could maybe serve as breeding ground for these beetles; there is a discussion on http://paulzimmermanroses.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=432 on beetle battle strategies that looks interesting.
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Dear Jth I have checked your first reference, "Science direct" where a number of baited traps were used including PH, ME and CA baits. Unfortunately it costs $31.50 to buy the reference. Do you know what PH stands for; possibly Pheromone bait. ? But what pheromone?
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David, I don't know for sure either, but PH sounds as if it could be pheromone bait.
The other reference to the doctoral thesis from Hungary led me to a company called Csalmon® , which is owned by the Plant Protection Institute in Budapest, Hungary, take a look at the site: http://www.julia-nki.hu/traps/trap_design.html, which shows a lot af different traps, and a description of the various insects and which traps to be used. There is a modified funnel trap called VARb3z, which is suitable for mass trapping of O. funesta and related beetles. The z stands for the visual attractant fluorscent yellow, these beetles are attracted by strong yellow colours, this is combined with pheromones, but they don't describe exactly which ones they use. You can buy either baited traps, or bait alone, the traps need to be replaced every 4-6 weeks. Minimal order is two traps per species containing 2 raps, 2 baits and other accessories necessary for operation 4-6 weeks in the field, plus instructions (in English). It is also possible to order baits only, so that the traps can be used for longer periods (against the same beetles). I have no idea what the price is, but it you may ask for a quote. I have not yet had this problem in my place in Greece, but if I did, I think I would try it.
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Another possibility: maybe 'PH' bait means 'Phyllotreta bait' and Phyllotreta is often abbreviated to Ph.
Allyl isothiocyanate is used as such a bait for flea beetles (see 'Species Spectrum of Flea Beetles (Phyllotreta spp., Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) Attracted to Allyl Isothiocyanate-Baited Traps' - http://www.znaturforsch.com/ac/v62c/62c0772.pdf)
(I don't know about the ME and CA baits.)
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I doubt it
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Ph is used as an abbreviation for pheromone bait on this site: http://www.iscatech.com/exec/lures.htm, (list of abbreviations below the table).
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Jorun - that's an interesting list of pests, including citrus leaf miner (http://www.iscatech.com/ecommerce/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=5), which I troubling me (kumquat, pomelo, and others yet to be planted) - thanks.
JohnJ - would you happen to know if similar pheromone traps are available in Cyprus?
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Jorun an impressive list. I will ask them for some comparative biological data.
Their list relies heavily on yellow traps etc which we all know is a major insect attracting colour plus various types of funnel traps all laced with a "pheromone".
They specifically recommend VARb3z for Oxythyrea.
I will let you know what happens. D
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I thought I would mention that with pheromone traps they usually only trap the males which in time can reduce a population of insects. We are currently battling with carpet moths and the traps are effective but don't cure the problem for the same reason. I presume that it will only take one or two fertile females to keep the problem going.
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I wonder if there is more in the traps sold by Csalmon® than pheromones and the colour attracting device, one of the authors (Vuts) from the institute selling this trap wrote in his PhD thesis:
a binary attractant consisting of 2-phenylethanol and (+)-lavandulol was found to be most effective in attracting O. funesta. The funnel trap VARb3z baited with this lure is suitable for detection and monitoring of this scarab.
and in Z Naturforsch C. 2008 Sep-Oct;63(9-10):761-8. 'Development of an attractant-baited trap for Oxythyrea funesta Poda (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) by Vuts J, Imrei Z, Töth M, the abstract says: In field trapping tests in Hungary the 1:1 blend of (+/-)-lavandulol and 2-phenylethanol attracted significantly more adult O. funesta than the single compounds. ...... There was no difference in the responses of male or female beetles. The binary 2-phenylethanol/(+/-)-lavandulol bait described, in this study is recommended for the use in traps of O. funesta for agricultural purposes.
So the trap seems to catch both male and female beetles.
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Mike, At least one 'organic' grower that I have spoken to recently makes his own traps from the sticky yellow cards. By uncovering just one side and folding that inside he makes a triangular trap. He places the pheremone aimed at the specific pest he's targeting in the base and hangs them up in his trees. He claims to have reduced pest damage significantly over the last few years.
He gets his pheremones from a shop in Limassol and it's on my list of things to look into, to find out exactly what pests they are targeting, when I get a spare minute or two. I believe Dimitri Shukuroglou has also begun to stock a limited selection, eg Mediterranean fruit fly. I need to follow that up too. I'll let you know what I find out.
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Thanks JohnJ; please do post results here as & when
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I've changed the title of this thread from your original "Definitely unwanted visitors", Daisy, as I think many more people will find it that way - thanks so much for starting this really interesting topic!
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Here we go, I have been in touch with the Hungarians and attach their price list ...........csalomon.orders@julia-nki.hu.
They offer trap VARb3z for two species of Oxythyrea. The price is euro 4.50 per trap,; no shipping costs mentioned.
There is a list of pests controlled or monitored as long as your arm. I asked for comparative data but was sent none. I think the traps are worth a trial based on their "cheap" price and other advantages however until you have sound scientific/or practical data I would remain sceptical.
You will need to know how many traps are required OUTDOORS to control the pest. Make sure it is CONTROL and not monitoring.
They have an extensive website. Hope it helps. If anyone tests these traps please let us know and the results as they will be of tremendous interest........if they work.
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It was a great idea to change this to a thread on insect traps, Alisdair.
David, the link you gave below does not give you the price list, but a link to a new email (with an email address that will probably not work).
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This thread has generated so much interest and activity that I had to carry out my threatened investigation. Unfortunately, it was not as fruitful as I had hoped.
The shop in Limassol stocks just 2 pheromone baits. One against Tuta absoluta that has been attacking tomato crops. This sells at 3 euros 40 cents a capsule.
The other, that the guy in the shop insisted was what was used to protect Citrus, was aimed at Spodoptera littoralis. This retails at 6 euros 50 cents a capsule.
These prices do not include any kind of trap which, I assume, you have to make yourself. With 1 capsule per trap, depending on how many traps you deploy, this could be a very pricey undertaking.
In the Premier Shukuroglou outlet they only stock individual dispensers for Tuta absoluta.
They do sell a supposedly 'biological' product against the Mediterranean fruit fly that can be used on Citrus, Olive, Fig, Apple, Peach, Apricot (I'm quoting here). Apparently this is used as a spray diluted with water at a ratio of 1 litre to 9 litres of water. It is sprayed over an area of the tree (1 sqm) on the side that gets the morning sun (ie East) (I'm quoting again). This needs to be done every 12/14 days. The product is called Success and is made by Dow Agrosciences of the USA. A 1 litre container costs 13 euros 15 cents and a 250 ml one 4 euros 85 cents.
I guess this doesn't really help a great deal, Mike, unless we can track down anyone else in Cyprus who deals in this kind of thing.
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I hope those trying any of these insect traps will give us a report of the results.
I have few roses and so far not had any problems with insect, but I wonder if any of you have had any luck with mass trapping of olive fruit flies. I remember that traps using some kind of yeast was briefly mentioned in the olives thread by Marilyn, and I found some descriptions on : http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/files/27230.pdf. The so-called Olipe traps seemed to be easy to make from plastic bottle. They say 'non-food bottles', I wonder why, could 1 1/2 liter water bottles be used? I am not sure what kind of yeast torula yeast is, and where to get it, but there is a long list of suppliers at that website, all of them in the States. And is there any way to improve this by adding other bait?
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Just a quick post to say thanks very much, John.
I don't have anything to add at this time, but will keep my thinking cap on.
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Thank you very much, I appreciate the very precise advices about when to prune olives (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1016.0) :)
We had also been reading the helpful articles about pruning them (http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/olives.html) on the MGS website, but I was unsure about the time for pruning.
Next question is: do you have an advice how to see which sprouts/twigs are from this year (and will bear fruit next year) ?
Enclosed please find some pictures from May 2011 and November 2011 - what is it?
Picture web 01: there were some web around the flowers.
Pic. web 02: a lot of berries with a black spot/hole.
Pic. web 03: rotten parts on the berries.
Olive fly? We have been reading some articles about it. Some mention that you can put some liquor in water bottles and hang it under the trees to catch the flies. What to put into the bottles? What time of the year to hang the bottles on the trees?
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You can shape olives most of the year but traditionally they are pruned after harvest. New wood carries the best fruit and that is true for most fruit trees. I suppose your olive trees are old? This makes pruning more difficult especially as the olive trees seem to grow at random. However after harvest you need to prune old fruiting branches hard to encourage new growth next year, 2013. Flowers will occur on this wood and then fruit. Prune this years growth, 2013 to new laterals which will also have grown in 2013. In this way you can develop a form of renewal pruning where you will always have new growths.
I also trained olives to be picked from the ground.
Pruning garpes is much easier. Remove all of this year`s growth to 2/3 buds this winter. . Leave say 4-6 shoots to grow wood next year 2013 and repeat.
Olive fly can be controlled to some extent using yellow sticky papers and pheromone traps. Syrupy water in bottles will not be v effective. I think you need to start in the 3rd quarter when the olives are beginning to ripen. Check on the net.
The hole in the olive looks like the entrance hole for the olive fly larvae.
Please read the article in TMG no 62 page 58 for more details.
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Pia, we have also been told not to worry about the cotton-woolly material but I do wonder if it affects pollination of the flowers.
Your other photos do show olive fly damage. You can buy the liquid that goes in the plastic bottles. I am not sure what it contains but solutions of ammonium carbonate or urea are also used. I have also read that you can use yeast solutions. All these are supposed to attract the flies which then drown. We have not found them effective. Olive flies are trapped (along with many other insects) but I wonder whether more flies are attracted to the trees by them. What are better are the pheromone traps. In Greek nurseries these are sold as longish sticky plastic tubes (green for the olive fly, yellow for the Mediterranean fruit fly). Generally you would hang them on the trees in July-August.
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Hello there....
We are planning to use the anti-olive fly traps suggested by Chevrel Traher (TMG 2007) - ie a solution of Bicarb of Ammonia in bottles hung strategically....
Now does anyone know - and/or is Chevrel out there? - what solution to use.I have managed to run to ground some (pretty expensive) carbonate of Ammonia, and the solution suggested by the pharmacist was 5:1, which would be very strong, and also, given the cost (31 € for a kilo), too expensive. I am hoping a weaker solution would do the trick - any advice???
Sandra
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In Spain they use about 50g of ammonium bicarbonate to one litre of water in the plastic-bottle traps, hanging one trap per tree if it's to attempt to control the flies rather than just gauge the degree of infestation.
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Alisdair at best its to measure the infestation todecide the optimum time to treat with something effective! Not sure about Ammonium bicarbonate.
You could also use sticky traps to catch the adult moth. Where is strategically? In my experience most of the olives are produced on the South side of the tree which is the prevailing wind side. Is this the location?
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Am bicarbonate is USDA approved for use in a 3-way trap. Am carb is an attractant because it gives of ammonia which attracts the adult olive fly, a male pheromone and a conventional insecticide such as delta methrin or similar which kills the moth by contact.
These are hung throughout the olive orchard.
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Thanks Alistair and David B for the various comments - 50g per litre would I suppose give me 20 trees-worth, so about 1.50€ per tree, which if it works would be ok (the best price for the green stickies is over 4€)...I think the loved-up male (according to Cheverel's article) is supposed to be attracted and then drown... Both methods of course are likely to attract other flies...tant pis...the only realistic organic alternative is spraying with a clay solution, which of course would have to be repeated every time there was a storm, and even so to get the right coverage seems like a very tiresome occupation...
I shall carry on regardless, and report what happens - i might try the yeast as well...thanks Marilyn in an earlier post..
Sandra ???