The activity of the olive fly It has been reactivated with the change of weather and, with it, the systems of surveillance and control in key production areas. The priority is to preserve the quality of the fruit and prevent pests from compromising the organoleptic profile of the oil.
In parallel to the monitoring work, the authorities and regulatory councils are issuing treatment notices and guidelines of integrated management to act in time. This coordinated response seeks to reduce damage in oil mill and table, optimizing resources and minimizing environmental impact.
Situation in Aragon: warnings and action thresholds
The Center for Plant Health and Certification (CSCV) recommends the patching in all varieties where adult activity is observed. The drop in temperature has favored laying: above 30 ° C The pest barely lays eggs, but with milder temperatures intensifies the risk.
The impact is noticeable in regions such as Lower Aragon, Matarraña, Andorra-Sierra de Arcos, Lower Martin and Campo de Belchite, where warnings have already been issued since the end of August. In Somontano of Barbastro even total treatments are recommended for empelter and varieties with thicker fruit.
In Bajo Aragón, producer of black table olive, each bite penalizes the fate of the fruit, so that the control must be even finer than in olive groves destined for oil press.
Technical monitoring and surveillance network
Aragon operates an integrated control network in the Redfara with 70 stations distributed throughout the main olive-growing areas. Field technicians collect data weekly and, with the support of the ATRIAs, they prepare warnings by area when risk thresholds require it.
This approach allows treatments to be directed where they are really needed, avoiding indiscriminate interventions and prioritizing those farms with the greatest pest pressure.
Control methods and recommended measures
El patching aims to reduce the adult population before laying. It consists of wetting approximately 1 m² per olive tree with a mixture of insecticide and attractant, with a consumption of about 20 L / haIt is a swift and effective intervention to reduce the number of adults.
When the condition exceeds the 5% of the olive grove of a farm, treatment is recommended total to stop larvae inside the fruit. As complementary alternatives, they gain weight mass trapping and kaolin coating, more respectful options within integrated management.
Campaign in the Baena PDO: localized and sustainable control
The Baena Protected Designation of Origin has launched a specific campaign surveillance and control with more than 120 observation points distributed throughout the district. The idea is to act only in the areas with the highest incidence, reducing the use of treatments to the minimum necessary.
The strategy includes techniques valid in ecological, such as mass trapping, and the application of localized treatments—ground and air—when data warrant it. This seeks to achieve a balance between crop protection and sustainability, taking care of both farmers and consumers.
Effects on the fruit and oil
The female lays the eggs under the skin and, as they develop, larva consumes the pulpThis opens the door to fungi and rust, increases the acidity and generates sensory defects that devalue the extra virgin. Even with a 10% of fruit damaged entire batches of oil may be affected.
The plague can complete up to three generations per year, the current one - right before the harvest - being the one that can do the most damage if we do not act quickly and with technical criteria.
Harvest prospects
For this year a scenario of average harvest dry land, without significant peaks. The lack of rain in recent months has wrinkled part of the fruit, and it will be the immediate weather that makes the difference in performance and final quality.
With reinforced warning systems, the à la carte treatments By closely monitoring the pest's evolution, the sector hopes to maintain the quality of the oil and keep the incidence of the olive fruit fly at bay at key moments prior to harvest.
