A New Invasive Pest in Plums: Monitoring and Control of Eurytoma schreineri

Eurytoma schreineri is a new invasive pest in the Czech Republic and may pose a risk in other European countries. Fruit damage caused by E. schreineri results in premature fruit drop, sometimes up to 90%. This study is the first to test the attractiveness of differently coloured sticky traps as a monitoring tool to determine presence, abundance, and timing of treatments against adults. We also evaluated efficacy of insecticides allowed in integrated pest management (IPM). Laboratory and field trials demonstrated that yellow sticky traps were the most attractive. Spinosad proved to be the most effective insecticide under both laboratory and orchard conditions, reducing infestation to 22.2% compared to 79.2% in untreated orchards. These findings provide new knowledge on pest monitoring and control strategies and will support fruit growers in developing effective IPM systems against E. schreineri.