First olive fruit fly spray round starts June 22 in Apokoronas
Spray teams will be moving through ten villages in Apokoronas from Monday, June 22, 2026, applying the first round of bait treatments against the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae), known locally as dakos. The programme is coordinated by the municipal development company Apokoronas Anaptyxiaki A.E. OTA.
Which villages are included?
The June 22 round covers the following communities:
- Kalyves – Tsivari
- Gavalochori
- Kefalas
- Kokkino Chorio
- Plaka
- Selia
- Georgioupoli
- Kastelos
- Kournas
- Fylaki
The remaining villages in the municipality are expected to follow shortly, though no specific date has been announced yet.
What do olive growers need to do?
Owners of olive groves are asked to make sure spray teams can reach their land without obstacles. Locked gates, overgrown tracks, or inaccessible plots can mean trees are skipped — which affects not just the individual grower but the whole neighbourhood.
The coordinating body is clear on this point: the programme works through collective coverage. Treating isolated patches while leaving adjacent trees untreated gives the fly room to reinfest. The more land is covered simultaneously, the better the outcome for everyone.
Why does this matter?
The olive fruit fly is one of the most damaging pests for olive cultivation in Crete. Its larvae burrow into the fruit, making olives unsuitable for oil production. In warm summers — and summers in Apokoronas are warm — infestations can be severe. Bait spraying, which involves applying a mixture of attractant and insecticide to selected branches, is the standard method used across Crete to keep fly populations under control.
Contact
For questions or more information, growers can contact their local team supervisor or call the company office directly:
- Phone: 2825340314