Abstract: 【Aim】 Agrilus mali is a burrowing pest that can wreak havoc on apple trees. The study aims to determine the flight dispersion capability of A. mali and the key factors affecting its flight capability. 【Methods】 The flight capabilities of different day-old male and female adults of A. mali were measured by SUN-FL intelligent flight grinding system, and the effects of feeding and mating conditions on their flight performance were also evaluated. 【Results】 The flight capability of A. mali adults increased and then declined with the increase of age. The newly-emerged adults had the lowest flight capacity, and the 11-day-old adults had the strongest flight capability. Females had a greater flight capacity than males. The maximum flight distance of female and male adults within 24 h was 0.4165 and 0.3559 km, the maximum flight duration was 0.4582 and 0.4873 h, and the maximum flight speeds were 2.4639 and 1.8561 km/h, respectively. The average flight distance and duration of the 3-day-old female adults with feeding were 0.047 km and 0.048 h, respectively, and those of males were 0.044 km and 0.042 h, respectively, while the average flight distance and duration of the 3-day-old female adults without feeding were only 0.016 km and 0.013 h, and those of males were only 0.013 km and 0.012 h, respectively. Mating had different effects on the flight capacities of female and male adults. The flight capacity of the mated females was better than that of the unmated females. However, the flight capacity of the mated males was lower than that of the unmated males. 【Conclusion】 The flight capacity of A. mali adults is heavily dependent on their age. Feeding can significantly improve the flight capacities of both male and female adults of A. mali, and mating can significantly improve the flight capacity of female adults.

Key words: Agrilus mali, flight capability, flight speed, flight distance, flight duration, flight mill, feeding, mating