Conclusions
The successful production of citrus in
Songkhla province of southern Thailand is
dependent on the infestation levels of the fruit
piercing moths. This is attributed not only to the
richness of three dominant species attacking the
fruits in two harvest seasons, but also to the high
losses in terms of market value in this crop. The
current control tactic used by most farmers, that of
using naphthalene as a repellent during harvesting
period, seems to be ineffective because fruit losses
remain at a high level. Climatic factors including
temperature, relative humidity and rainfall did not
show direct effect on fruit moth population, but they
might directly affect the host plants used by the
larval stages. Factors influencing all stages of the
FPM development should be further studied,
particularly in the three most commonly occurring
species found in citrus (O. coronata, E. ephesperis
and M. frugalis). The development of an integrated
pest management (IPM) approach for FPM in
citrus occurring in southern Thailand is needed.
Such a management practice is only possible with
the appropriate biological and ecological data of
the key pest species.