Current integrated pest management tactics for the spotted wing Drosophila and their practical implementation in Switzerland

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), the spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) is a concern for small fruit and stone fruit growers. This invasive pest lays eggs in healthy fruits with a serrated ovipositor, resulting in considerable economic losses, mainly in berry crops. In Europe, it was first recorded in Switzerland in 2011, causing considerable damage in all small fruit crops, especially in later-developing crops (autumn raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and elderberries). The pest was found in all regions of the country, from low altitudes to the timberline. The range of host plants is very broad, not only affecting crops, but also wild fruits. Switzerland has implemented a strategy at the national level by combining an effective monitoring system with hygiene measures and mass trapping. Insecticide applications, usually based on spinosyns, are only considered as a last resort. In addition to this already operative strategy, innovative alternatives are considered, in particular the use of repellents or masking substances.

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Octabor (boron) as a Low Toxicity Control Tactic for the Spotted Wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura)

Journal of Agricultural Studies ◽

10.5296/jas.v6i3.13232 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 63

Author(s):

Troy Cloutier ◽

Francis Andrew Drummond ◽

Judith Collins

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

The United States ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Delayed Effect ◽

Control Fruit ◽

Small Fruit ◽

Sugar Addition ◽

Wild Blueberry

The recently introduced spotted wing drosophila is one of the most serious pests in small fruit production in the United States and Europe. Most control relies upon multiple applications of synthetic insecticides. In an effort to find less-toxic insecticides to consumers, farm workers, and wildlife, we conducted two laboratory trials and a semi-field trial in order to assess the potential for disodium octaborate tetrahydrateformulated and sold as Octabor®(U.S. Borax, Inc.) as a control for spotted wing drosophila in wild blueberry. We found that Octabor at 0.6 and 1.0% (w/v) applied to wild blueberry fruit resulted in higher mortality of flies than non-treated control fruit. Addition of sugar to Octabor enhanced mortality in one of the two trials, with an interaction between sugar addition and Octabor rate suggesting that the addition of sugar provided the greatest enhancement at the low rate. Our semi-field study showed that an apparent repellency effect of Octabor provided protection of fruit from infestation for up to 3 days. Also in the semi-field study, we observed a delayed effect on fly mortality. Increased fly mortality occurred over time, relative to the non-treated control fruit. The greatest fly mortality, relative to the non-treated control, resulted from flies being exposed to fruit treated 3 and 7 days prior to fly exposure, but not immediately after the treatment of Octabor. We speculate on why this type of delay in mortality might have occurred.

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Potential spread and economic impact of invasive Drosophila suzukii in Brazil

Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-204x2016000500018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (5) ◽

pp. 571-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Norton Polo Benito ◽

Marcelo Lopes-da-Silva ◽

Régis Sivori Silva dos Santos

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stress ◽

Economic Impact ◽

Control Measures ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Case Scenario ◽

Worst Case ◽

Thermal Requirements ◽

Production Areas

Abstract: The objective of this work was to outline the potential distribution and economic impact of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), a recent invasive pest, in Brazil. Two maps of the potential establishment of the species were drawn based on the ecoclimatic index (EI), which uses the following thermal requirements for the species: with thermal stress, most restrictive scenario for spread; and without thermal stress. The EI was classified into four ranges: unfavorable, ≤25%; less favorable, >25 to ≤50%; favorable, >50 to ≤75%; and highly favorable, >75%. Economic losses were estimated based on the most restrictive map. The highly favorable areas were overlapped with those of the maps of production data for each possible host (apple, grape, peach, persimmon, fig, and pear). Considering these six hosts, the overlap between the highly favorable and the production areas varied from 45.5% (grape) to 98.3% (apple). However, the monetary estimation of the potential losses in the worst case scenario (no control measures) was possible only for figs and peaches. Southern Brazil is the most climatically favorable area for D. suzukii development and where potential economic losses are expected to be the greatest. Maximum average temperatures (>30°C) are the main ecological factor to limit D. suzukii spread in Brazil.

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Explorative Data Analysis of Drosophila suzukii Trap Catches from a Seven-Year Monitoring Program in Southwest Germany

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects9040125 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 125 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Felix Briem ◽

Anto Dominic ◽

Burkhard Golla ◽

Christoph Hoffmann ◽

Camilla Englert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monitoring Program ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Mild Winter ◽

Annual Population ◽

Five Phases ◽

Trap Catches ◽

Southwest Germany

Over the last decade, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, an invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits, gradually established itself in Europe, often resulting in significant economic losses. In 2011, when D. suzukii was first described for Germany, the Julius Kühn Institut (JKI) started a monitoring program in southwest Germany to study the occurrence and activity of the fly. Capture data from late 2011–early 2018 from 100 traps were analyzed for the effect of weather and immediate habitat on trap captures at different times of the year. We identified five phases in the annual population development cycle of D. suzukii. We found that the mild winter of 2013/2014 helped the thorough establishment of D. suzukii in Germany. Habitat types in the immediate vicinity of the trap and local weather conditions had a strong influence on trap captures. Forest borders and hedges were found to provide adequate overwintering shelter for the flies. Trap captures in forests and hedges were generally higher than those of vineyards and orchards, even during the fruiting seasons. Summer capture rates were correlated with the number of heat days and precipitation. We also discuss briefly the limitations of using trap captures as representative of fly density in the field.

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Organization of the Structural Protein Region of La Jolla Virus Isolated from the Invasive Pest Insect Drosophila suzukii

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13050740 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 740

Author(s):

Tessa Carrau ◽

Benjamin Lamp ◽

Carina M. Reuscher ◽

Andreas Vilcinsksas ◽

Kwang-Zin Lee

Keyword(s):

Control Measures ◽

Capsid Proteins ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Structural Protein ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Pest Insect ◽

Peptide Mass ◽

Sds Page ◽

La Jolla

Drosophila suzukii (Ds) is an invasive pest insect that infests ripening fruit, causing severe economic losses. Control measures based on chemical pesticides are inefficient and undesirable, so biological alternatives have been considered, including native Ds viruses. We previously isolated a strain of La Jolla virus (LJV-Ds-OS20) from Ds in Germany as a candidate biopesticide. Here we characterized the new strain in detail, focusing on the processing of its capsid proteins. We tested LJV growth during Ds development to optimize virus production, and established a laboratory production system using adult flies. This system was suitable for the preparation of virions for detailed analysis. The LJV-Ds-OS20 isolate was cloned by limiting dilution and the complete nucleotide sequence was determined as a basis for protein analysis. The terminal segments of the virus genome were completed by RACE-PCR. LJV virions were also purified by CsCl gradient centrifugation and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and electron microscopy. The capsid proteins of purified LJV virions were resolved by two-dimensional SDS-PAGE for N-terminal sequencing and peptide mass fingerprinting. The N-terminal sequences of VP1 and VP2, together with MS data representing several capsid proteins, allowed us to develop a model for the organization of the LJV structural protein region. This may facilitate the development of new viral strains as biopesticides.

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First record of spotted wing drosophila Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Montenegro

Pesticidi i fitomedicina ◽

10.2298/pif1501035r ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 35-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sanja Radonjic ◽

Snjezana Hrncic

Keyword(s):

Fruit Fly ◽

First Record ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Laboratory Observation ◽

Set Up ◽

First Time

The spotted wing drosophila Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive pest originating from Southeast Asia. It was detected for the first time in Europe in 2008 (Spain and Italy) and subsequently in other European countries. It is a highly polyphagous pest that infests healthy, ripening fruit and presents a serious threat to fruit production, particularly of soft skinned fruit. In the first half of October 2013, a new fruit fly species was unexpectedly detected in Tephri traps baited with the three-component female-biased attractant BioLure that is regularly used for monitoring the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata Wiedem. (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Montenegro. Brief visual inspection identified the new species as the spotted wing drosophila D. suzukii. The pest was first recorded in several localities on the Montenegrin seacoast around Boka Kotor Bay. After the finding, all Drosophila specimens were collected from traps for further laboratory observation. A quick follow-up monitoring of other Tephri traps was carried out within the next few days on the rest of the seacoast (localities from Tivat to Ulcinj). Additionally, Tephri traps were set up around Lake Skadar and in the city of Podgorica, as well as on fresh fruit markets in Podgorica. The results of this preliminary study showed that D. suzukii was present in all surveyed locations and adults were captured until late December. Both sexes were found in traps with BioLure. Our data show that D. suzukii is present in southern parts of Montenegro and there is a serious threat of its further spreading, particularly towards northern parts of the country where the main raspberry and blueberry production is placed. The results also show that Tephri traps baited with BioLure can be used for detection and monitoring of spotted wing drosophila.

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Spatial distribution of spotted-wing drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and other insects in fruit of a sweet cherry (Rosaceae) orchard

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/tce.2020.41 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 152 (4) ◽

pp. 450-473

Author(s):

Amanda C. Chamberlain ◽

Robert Lalonde ◽

Howard M.A. Thistlewood

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽

Tree Canopy ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

First Results ◽

Southern Aspect ◽

Rhagoletis Indifferens ◽

Soft Fruits

AbstractSpotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive pest of many small and soft fruits. We present the first results concerning its oviposition in the canopy of a sweet cherry (Prunus avium Linnaeus; Rosaceae) orchard. We examined the distribution of arthropods emerging from fruits of five cultivars ripening successively over seven weeks, in interior and border rows, within four regions of the tree canopy (top/bottom height × north/south aspect), and measured the associated fruit ripeness (ºBrix). Single fruits were reared for more than two weeks: 1328 arthropods emerged from 887 cherries in June, and 10 426 emerged from 1071 cherries in July. When populations were low, significantly more D. suzukii were present in the northernmost row and northern canopy aspect. Later, its distribution with respect to cherry row, height, and aspect was homogenous. Drosophila suzukii density per sweet cherry was highest in the latest ripening cultivar, when its distribution was not homogeneous; significantly more D. suzukii were in the centre than the southernmost row, in the lower canopy, and the southern aspect, than elsewhere. In the early season, single egg clutches were found without aggregation. As population density increased, so did intraspecific aggregation, but D. suzukii did not co-exist with other Drosophila Fallén species, nor with Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae) when present.

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Raspberry as a Source for the Development of Drosophila suzukii Attractants: Laboratory and Commercial Polytunnel Trials

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects10050137 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 137 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rodrigo Lasa ◽

Ricardo A. Toledo-Hernández ◽

Douglas Rodríguez ◽

Trevor Williams

Keyword(s):

Baker’S Yeast ◽

Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽

Mass Trapping ◽

Baker's Yeast ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Commercial Products ◽

Apple Cider ◽

Baited Traps ◽

Capture Rates ◽

Better Than

Several commercial products and home-made attractants have been developed for monitoring and mass-trapping of the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. Growers in Mexico have adopted an attractant based on a fermenting mixture of raspberry pulp and sucrose, with anecdotally promising results. We compared the capture rates of traps baited with raspberry pulp + sucrose with captures from a range of alternative attractants. Raspberry pulp alone or with sucrose was more attractive than apple cider vinegar (ACV) or SuzukiiTrap and similar to baker’s yeast + sucrose in laboratory cage studies. Synthetic raspberry aroma (0.1–10% concentration), in water or mixed with ACV, did not improve capture rates in the laboratory. Traps baited with raspberry + sucrose or ACV had similar captures of D. suzukii in raspberry or blackberry polytunnels in Michoacán, Mexico. Raspberry + sucrose baited traps captured significantly higher numbers of other drosophilid species, leading to higher total numbers of captured flies (all species), which may explain why Mexican growers favor the raspberry-based attractant. The commercial products SuzukiiTrap and Z-Kinol had lower captures than ACV in polytunnels, although SuzukiiTrap had the highest selectivity in captures of D. suzukii (81% of flies captured). A two-component trap (2C trap) baited with ACV + ethanol as the drowning solution and raspberry pulp + sucrose or baker’s yeast + sucrose in a ventilated tube device was markedly more effective than the trap currently used by growers. We conclude that raspberry pulp + sucrose is as effective for the attraction of D. suzukii as ACV under commercial polytunnel conditions. The 2C trap performed better than the transparent cup trap currently used by berry producers in Mexico.

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Phenology and spatial distribution of spotted-wing drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in lowbush blueberry (Ericaceae) in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec, Canada

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/tce.2020.30 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 152 (4) ◽

pp. 432-449

Author(s):

William Champagne-Cauchon ◽

Jean-Frédéric Guay ◽

Valérie Fournier ◽

Conrad Cloutier

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Population Fluctuations ◽

Fruit Crops ◽

Cold Winter ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Local Conditions ◽

Lowbush Blueberry

AbstractDrosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), the spotted-wing drosophila, is an invasive pest of fruit crops, which appeared in eastern Canada in 2010. It represents a major threat to lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton; Ericaceae) in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, Québec, Canada, at the northern limits of its distribution. The dynamics, overwintering capacity, population fluctuations, and damage to lowbush blueberry of D. suzukii are unknown in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. We aimed to 1) document D. suzukii abundance and phenology in lowbush blueberry in separate localities; 2) evaluate the potential of D. suzukii to overwinter and examine population dynamics over three seasons; and 3) study the spatial distribution of D. suzukii in lowbush blueberry fields with respect to forested borders. Drosophila suzukii is abundant in lowbush blueberry fields of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. In spring, D. suzukii were absent until late June, when few summer-morph females appeared. Drosophila suzukii densities started to increase regularly in August, with increasing male proportions, to culminate in fall at high levels with balanced sex ratios. Overwintering remains uncertain, D. suzukii being undetectable in spring despite intensive trapping. Appearance of diapausing winter morphs at high densities indicates that D. suzukii responds appropriately to local conditions preceding cold winter. Models of variation of D. suzukii densities and lowbush blueberry fruit infestation with distance from borders indicate that forest borders are favoured habitats over lowbush blueberry fields and the source of D. suzukii moving to some extent into lowbush blueberry fields.

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Using comparative genomics to develop a molecular diagnostic for the identification of an emerging pest Drosophila suzukii

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485315000218 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 105 (3) ◽

pp. 364-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

K.A. Murphy ◽

T.R. Unruh ◽

L.M. Zhou ◽

F.G. Zalom ◽

P.W. Shearer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rapid Identification ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Molecular Diagnostic ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

The Usa ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Bioinformatic Approach

AbstractDrosophila suzukii (Spotted Wing Drosophila) has recently become a serious invasive pest of fruit crops in the USA, Canada, and Europe, leading to substantial economic losses. D. suzukii is a direct pest, ovipositing directly into ripe or ripening fruits; in contrast, other Drosophilids utilize decaying or blemished fruits and are nuisance pests at worst. Immature stages of D. suzukii are difficult to differentiate from other Drosophilids, posing problems for research and for meeting quarantine restrictions designed to prevent the spread of this pest in fruit exports. Here we used a combined phylogenetic and bioinformatic approach to discover genetic markers suitable for a species diagnostic protocol of this agricultural pest. We describe a molecular diagnostic for rapid identification of single D. suzukii larva using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Our molecular diagnostic was validated using nine different species of Drosophila for specificity and 19 populations of D. suzukii from different geographical regions to ensure utility within species.

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Detection of Fruit Meals Within Laboratory-Raised and Field-Trapped Adult Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Guts

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.719645 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Laura J. Kraft ◽

Tim L. Sit ◽

Lauren M. Diepenbrock ◽

Hamid Ashrafi ◽

Rishi Aryal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feeding Habits ◽

Field Trials ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Gut Contents ◽

Research Station ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Melt Curve Analysis ◽

Field Environment ◽

Small Fruit ◽

Adult Drosophila

The feeding habits of adult Brachycera are understudied and may provide important context for understanding invasive pest biology, as with the polyphagous small fruit pest Drosophila suzukii. We developed molecular methods to study adult D. suzukii gut content in order to understand its feeding habits. We designed and verified two primer pairs specific for either blueberries or blackberries and used a qPCR melt curve analysis to determine whether we can detect the presence or absence of berry feeding by adult flies. In a laboratory assay, the blueberry fly meal DNA can be detected for longer periods than the blackberry meal DNA. Generally, female gut contents are less variable than male gut contents. We also tested recently emerged flies that were not fed as adults but developed as larvae in either blueberries or blackberries. Some adult flies from each fruit had detectable fruit DNA in their gut, which could be due to pupal meconium feeding after emergence. Next, we aimed to test the primers in the field to develop techniques to track fruit feeding by D. suzukii in its natural field environment. First, to identify the most appropriate collection method, we determined how long we could detect fruit DNA, using previously developed primers within D. suzukii gut preserved in four types of trap fluid in the laboratory. The likelihood of detecting blackberry DNA differed by day, trap fluid, and between sexes. For the blueberry primer, the possibility of detecting blueberry DNA differed by trap fluid only. Based on those results, we used RV antifreeze with a Scentry SWD lure in field trials at two research station locations, one containing blackberries and one with blueberries. We established transects away from each fruit planting and collected up to 120 total flies at each point along transects. There were no significant differences in the number of flies containing berry DNA among collection points along the transect in both locations. These results suggest that adult flies move between crop and non-crop habitats and may not be highly dependent on fruit food resources.

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