Damage caused by the dusky sap beetle, Carpophilus lugubris, in strawberry fields in North-eastern Italy
The small beetle Carpophilus lugubris Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) has caused infestations in some strawberry fi elds of North-eastern Italy since 2013. This pest is an alien species of American origin, known as «dusky sap beetle» in the Usaand «carpofilo americano» in Italy. The most serious damage was observed in strawberries fields close to the harvest, especially in 2015 in the Verona district. The control of this pest with the use of insecticides is particularly difficult, due to the absence of authorized products against this species and the need to respect the pre-harvest intervals.
