In early August we find that our olive groves and reached the state of hardening of bone, that it is acquiring greater consistency until it takes the very hardness of the fruit developed and gives way to the beginning of the formation of oil.
This year we are having milder temperatures than usual at this time, except for specific cases. This has a positive aspect, because water loss is reduced from the ground and it shows just under the agostamiento. Although there are more olive groves this fact for various reasons, such as an increased burden of olives.
Also mild temperatures affect a faster development of pests such as the olive fly, since high heat limits their development and causes their death when the situation lasts for several days. So, in field samplings, a higher population has been seen this year and in advance of its appearance, as well as a higher level of bite at a time when there is normally hardly any.
As a result of this situation, in mid-July we proceeded to perform an air treatment in the area to control the pest. As a result there has been a significant drop in catches in traps, and which has also added the effect of higher temperatures in recent days.
Likewise, there has been a stagnation in total minced, which means that there are hardly any new ground you can have eggs or larva.
This year, serving is developing as the olive fly, we must be especially vigilant because the damage caused by this pest is twofold. There is a direct damage to the insect larvae feed on the pulp of olives, reducing weight. On the other hand, minced may be the pathway of various fungi and other pathogens, if favorable climatic conditions of temperature and humidity, degrade olive oils obtained it worse quality with high acidity.
In areas that are especially sensitive to this pest and where the aircraft can not reach for legal reasons (borders with roads, streams and rivers, population centers and other crops) it is advised that the partners conduct a treatment by patching or bands. For this an insecticide used with an attractant (hydrolysed proteins), requiring low amounts of each, resulting effective treatment at low cost.
