Evaluations on Bioecology of Contarinia pruniflorum Coutin & Rambier, 1955 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Abstract

Apricot flower midge (Contarinia pruniflorum Coutin & Rambier Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was first detected in Prunus species in the 1950s and did not become a significant pest for a long time. However, towards the 2000s, the pest caused damage to apricot and plum especially in Mediterranean countries and its distribution continued to increase. The population density of the pest is closely related to the climate of the agricultural area. In recent years, the fluctuation in climatic data causes the population fluctuations. The study was carried out in the Kale and the Yeşilyurt district of Malatya province (Turkey) in 2017-2018. Some biological stages of apricot flower midge were determined in Malatya province and these data were interpreted together with climatic data. It was determined that the pest overwinters as a pupa in the soil. In February, the adult emerges from the pupa with the warming of the air and soil temperatures. It was determined that the adult emerged from the pupa when the soil temperature was 13-14 °C and the air temperature was 7-15 °C. At the beginning of the pink-bud stage of apricot, the pests lay eggs into flower buds. The larval development is approximately 25-28 days. The average number of larvae in the damaged buds was 14, the maximum number of larvae in a bud was 26, and the pest gave an offspring annually and the ratio of male to female was 0.08.