The status of medfly and IPM practices based on case studies in Italy

Abstract

Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) is considered one of the world’s most destructive pest. In recent years, medfly has expanded its distribution in temperate areas. With global warming, it is expected that the geographic distribution of medfly will expand to higher latitudes and its pest status in the areas that currently have low population levels will change. Indeed, in recent years in Italy, medfly began to appear as stable populations with high densities in areas where it was not previously considered a major pest. In the present paper, the status of medfly and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices were investigated in two areas of central Italy. Within each area, three farms were selected. The investigation allowed us to define the spatio-temporal dynamic of medfly in each farm and the key host species for overwintering; to evaluate the pest status for various fruit species and cultivars; to establish the range of pesticides and other means used for medfly control; and to calculate the costs related to relevant medfly IPM practices.