Invasive Update: Spotted Wing Drosophila

Spotted wing drosophila. Source: G. Arakelian

In 2016, the Northeastern IPM Center awarded $20,000 for a working group led by Julie Carroll of the New York State IPM Program at Cornell University to control the spread of the invasive spotted wing drosophila (SWD). The project is designed to identify and prioritize research and extension needs for the pest. Priorities in the prior year were topped by biological control, knowing what to do, i.e., recommendations for next season, and optimizing the use of insecticides. These were followed by early detection monitoring tools, behavioral controls such as repellents, attract and kill, mass trapping, push and pull, and trap crops.

Since its discovery in the Pacific Northwest in 2008, this tiny vinegar fly (Drosophila suzukii) has established outposts in nearly every fruit and berry-growing region of North America. Unlike most vinegar flies, this one attacks undamaged fruit.

For more information about spotted wing drosophila, including fact sheets and updates for the Northeast and from national sources, visit http://neipmc.org/go/kWby.