A new PCR based molecular method for early and precise quantification of parasitization in the emerging olive pest Dasineura oleae

Dasineura oleae (Angelini 1831) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was considered a minor pest in olive orchards, but in recent years severe outbreaks have been registered in several Mediterranean countries. Damage is caused by the feeding activity of larvae that induce gall formations and alters the physiological activity of the leaves. In Italy, this pest may be controlled by four Hymenoptera parasitoid species belonging to Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera such as Platygaster demades Walker 1835, Platygaster oleae Szelenyi 1940 (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), Mesopolobus aspilus (Walker 1835) and Mesopolobus mediterraneus (Mayr 1903) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), but parasitization becomes evident only after gall dissection.