Management strategies for the invasive spotted wing drosophila

Background

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD, Drosophila suzukii) is an invasive fruit fly that has been present in Minnesota since 2012. Female flies infest soft, ripening fruits. Small fruit acreage in Minnesota exceeds 1,500 acres, and crop losses have been reported as high as 40, 20 and 50 percent in strawberry, blueberry and raspberry, respectively.

Today’s management techniques for SWD are limited to repeat applications of broad-spectrum insecticides. A lack of understanding of the basic biology and behaviors of SWD has prevented experts from offering more sustainable, pest-specific control recommendations. This project has three goals to move Minnesota forward on SWD:

1. Improve SWD forecasting by better understanding local movement patterns, long-distance migration and potential overwintering locations

2. Evaluate the success of innovative, alternative management techniques

3. Evaluate the cost-efficiency and economic impact of SWD management alternatives and develop decision-making tools for Minnesota berry growers
   

Whether through the use of innovative field research techniques like unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight – where drones are used to capture SWD migration patterns in air currents – or old-fashioned conversation with berry growers on the ground, this team is working to change the outlook of SWD in Minnesota.  

Research questions

• Can we forecast seasonal SWD populations via overwintering and local migration data?
  
  
• How effective are novel biopesticide products like erythritol, lufenuron and spider venom for SWD control on raspberries in the field?
  
  
• How effective are poly-covered high tunnels and fine mesh netting on reducing SWD damage in raspberries?
  
  
• What is the current economic impact of SWD on the Minnesota raspberry industry?
  
  
• What are the potential costs and benefits associated with alternative SWD management practices?
  
  

Practical implications

This work will deliver new information on a suite of potential SWD management options, including exclusion netting and organic biopesticides. An economic estimation tool will also help growers make informed financial decisions about SWD control in soft fruit production.

Details

Funding:

$505,000

Collaborators:

Metropolitan State University

Research Team:

Mary Rogers, principal investigator

Matthew Gullickson, PhD candidate

Anh Tran, PhD candidate

Demoz Gebre-Egziabher, co-investigator

Gigi DiGiacomo, co-investigator

William Hutchison, co-investigator

Andrew Petran, post-doctoral associate

Mark Asplen, co-investigator