Sampling techniques and preparation of partial life tables for the olive fly, Dacus oleae (Diptera: Trypetidae) in Corfu

Abstract
1. A sampling plan was developed for the immature stages of D.oleae (Gmel.) by analysing data from samples of infested fruits taken during the years 1973, 1974 and 1975.2. The number of samples required to attain a certain precision is largely a function of density, so that the level of sampling can be determined approximately for a given density of immature stages.3. Partial life tables were constructed for the main developmental periods of the successive generations of D.oleae. For most of the year the number of eggs laid, rather than mortality, determined the size of the resulting population of pupae.4. In September mortality of the third larval instar is high, mainly due to parasitism and this decreases considerably the number of pupae produced during this period.