Olive lace bug adds to harvest woes for Australian farmers

Producers across Australia anticipate mixed results as the 2024 olive harvest gets underway, with some facing further complications due to a widespread lace bug infestation. The olive lace bug (Froggattia olivinia) is an Australian native sap-sucking insect that feeds off the underside of leaves. In recent years, the insects have moved from native plants in the olive family to Olea europea, the scientific name for the olive. “Severe infestations can defoliate trees and even kill young trees,” said Robert Spooner-Hart, an associate professor of applied entomology and crop protection at Western Sydney University. Spooner-Hart works with the olive industry in Australia and Europe following integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, which use pesticide intervention only when necessary and the least environmentally disruptive methodologies. While olive lace bugs have been reported in olive groves in South Africa, Pakistan and northern India, Spooner-Hart said the one in Australia is ...