The effect of different ant species on the olive moth, Prays oleae (Bern.), in Spanish olive orchard

Abstract

Abstract: In the olive orchards of Granada, Spain, ants are one of the most abundant insect families. Two sites were compared in 1994 and 1995 – a commercial orchard and an abandoned one. In both, the temporal pattern of abundance and the ant species composition were similar. Drought affected captures between the years. The managed orchard had fewer species and was dominated by Tapinoma nigerrimum. Predation studies using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the maximum number of ants found to be test positive for olive moth, Prays oleae remains coincided with the moth's most vulnerable period. In the commercial orchard the most abundant ant species also had, by far, the highest number of positives for predation whereas at the abandoned site several species were of equal importance. Trophallaxis and scavenging are two particular traits of ants that may artificially inflate the ELISA results. However, as a basis for further study, ELISA can greatly assist the identification of ant species which warrant further research into their possible role against the olive moth.