Harmfulness of Delia antiqua (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Garlic in Southeast and Central Moravia

Abstract

The aim of the three year research was to determine the first occurrence of Delia antiqua (Meigen, 1826) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), specify its bionomics, compare its harmfulness on different garlic varieties, find out the effect of temperature on their life cycle and how their abundance influences garlic yield in regional agriculture areas traditionally growing garlic such as southeast and central Moravia. There was a significantly higher infestation of Delia antiqua on the edge (32.3 larvae) of study plot than in the middle (16.3 larvae) from 2010 to 2012. Intensive laying eggs of D. antiqua takes place between 9–11 a.m. and 16–18 p.m. hours at the edges of the study plot. The highest number of laid eggs was of 28 per one plant in Nedakonice. The development lasted 15 days at 21 °C under laboratory conditions.