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Virachola livia
Signs of Infestation
Appearance of blackening around the puncture site.
Fruit rot around the puncture site, aggravating crop damage.
Presence of larval exit holes for pupation.
Sources of Spread and Transmission
Direct transmission through the flight of adult insects from one place to another.
Movement of fruits through commercial trade between countries and regions.
Rotten and infested fruits disposed of in dumps, valleys, and along roadsides.
Sorting and conditioning stations and markets where fruits infested with the pest are sold.
Prevention and Control Mechanism
Regular inspection of orchards and monitoring for the first signs of infestation to ensure timely and effective control.
Removing alternative hosts, such as acacia trees, from pomegranate orchards.
Collecting and burying rotten pomegranate fruits, whether on the tree or fallen to the ground, during pruning and field sanitation.
Collecting infested fruits in plastic bags, sealing them tightly, and exposing them to direct sunlight to kill all living stages inside the fruits. This should be done regularly (at least once a week throughout the season).
Using pheromone traps to monitor the pest before fruit coloring begins.
Avoiding delays in harvesting and ensuring fruits are not left on trees once ripened.
Releasing the natural enemy Trichogramma at the onset of each pest generation, based on pheromone trap catches (adults) and field detection of eggs and larvae.