Olive Fly

Small brown-yellow fly with dark-spotted wings; whitish legless larvae found tunnelling inside olive fruit.

Multiple generations per year in warm climates; adults lay a single egg per fruit under the skin.

Larvae mine through the flesh of olive fruit, causing premature drop, rot, and significantly reduced oil quality.

Use mass-trapping with pheromone or food-bait traps. Remove and destroy fallen and infested fruit promptly.

Harvest fruit as early as practical and monitor with traps from early summer to time interventions.