Determination of Artificial Oviposition Substrates for Olive Fruit Fly, Bactrocera oleae Gmelin (Diptera: Tephritidae)

This study was conducted to determine artificial oviposition substrates for olive fruit fly in the laboratory. Three-different oviposition substrates, paraffin mixture, parafilm and nylon were prepared and tested for their suitability as egging substrates in the laboratory. The average numbers of eggs laid by olive fruit fly were determined for each oviposition substrate. As a result, females of olive fruit flies preferred and laid the highest amount of eggs on nylon cones at 9 day-old (131.00 +/- 2.64 number/day), and the least amount of eggs laid at 18 day-old (52.00 +/- 6.35 number/day). After mating, removing of males from the cages had a negative effect in female's egg productivity. The number of laid eggs in the cages having only mated females and both males and females at 9 day-old (70.22 +/- 15.92 ve 75.77 +/- 16.84 number/day), and 18 day-old (35.44 +/- 8.72 ve 49.88 +/- 12.03 number/day) respectively. Although, olive fruit flies normally lay eggs inside the host, they also lay eggs in artificial oviposition substrates in the laboratory.