Biological and Reproductive Parameters of Olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Laboratory condition

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera:Tephritidae) is the most important and widespread pest in the olive growing countries in the world. The larvae feed upon the pulp, resulting in a significant quantitative and qualitative loss in the production of table olives and oil. In this research, infected fruits from infected areas were collected and biological and reproductive parameters were evaluated at 27 ± 1°C, 60-70 % RH and photoperiod of 16L: 8D on olive fruit, Zard variety. Because of internal function of immature stages of the pest, we supposed that the gross hatch rate was equal to 1 and survival rate (lx) of adults was compared with the initial egg number. Results showed that incubation period of eggs, larval and pupal stages lasted in 3.26 ± 0.095, 13.13 ± 0.28 and 9.13 ± 0.34 days respectively. Development time of the pest in suitable condition was 25.53 ± 0.48 days. Pre-oviposition time, oviposition time and post-oviposition time was 5.64 ± 0.31, 51.64 ± 1.73 and 4.07 ± 0.68 days respectively. The average of adult longevity for males was 38.57 ± 2.56 and for females was 61.36 ±2.15 days. The total number of laid eggs laid in suitable conditions was 214.25 ± 22.38 per female (139-256). The sex ratio was 1.1: 1, female: male. The survival rate until last stages of life cycle was equal to 1 but in this time some females was dead that it appeared as fluctuations in the rate. The gross and net fecundity and fertility rate of the pest on olive fruits was 118.20 and 46.97 respectively, because the gross hatch rate was supposed equal to 1. Mean egg per day was 1.90 and mean eggs/female/day was 0.89. Mean fertile eggs per day and mean fertile eggs/female/day were equal to 1.90 and 0.89 too. Results of showed that generation time (T) was 58.18 days, doubling time (DT) was 8.88 days, finite rate of increase (λ) was 1.08 and intrinsic rate of increase (rm) was 0.078.