Efficacy of spinosad bait sprays to control Bactrocera oleae and impact on non-target arthropods

Abstract

A field study was conducted during 2005 and 2006 in Terra Quente, northeastern Portugal, to evaluate the efficacy of the spinosad-based insecticide Spintor Cebo® (Dow Agrosciences Iberica, S.A.) against the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), as well as the impact of the treatments on non-target arthropods. Results suggest that this insecticide could be as effective as dimethoate and since it was reported as having more benign toxicological and ecological profiles, it seems to be a good alternative to control the pest in Continental Mediterranean climates such as Terra Quente. However, its use should be evaluated carefully, mainly in conditions that increase the arthropod biological control agents’ propensity for feeding on it (e.g. absence of pollen, nectar and honeydews) to identify unintended impacts on conservation biological control of olive pests as a result of its application.