Extension and research updates for the black fig fly (Silba adipata): An emergent pest in the U.S. fig industry

The black fig fly (Diptera: Lonchaeidae: Silba adipata) is an insect that damages unripe fig fruit (Ficus carica L.). Adults lay eggs in the ostiole, or the opening, of the fruit. The larvae then eclose and begin tunneling and chewing through the flesh of the fig. Larval feeding  causes the fruit to prematurely drop from the tree, causing large economic losses for fig growers where the fly is present.

In 2021, the first black fig fly was identified in California in Ventura County. Finding the fly, set off a series of projects conducted by the Wilson lab and collaborators including delineation surveys, habitat suitability modeling, phenology tracking and development of monitoring methods. This presentation will summarize these projects and will provide a research update regarding the monitoring of the black fig fly.