Spotted Wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, Captures using Two Commercial Lures in Sustainably Grown Blackberries in Central Kentucky

Grade Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

Agriculture, Food and Nutrition

Minor

Business

Institution

Kentucky State University

KY House District #

57

KY Senate District #

57

Department

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Abstract

A new invasive pest of small fruit and tree fruit crops, the spotted wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, appeared in Kentucky in 2012. This fruit fly is very destructive to soft-skinned fruit such as blackberries and raspberries. Female SWDs have a saw-like ovipositor, which they use to insert eggs inside undamaged ripening or ripe fruit. Larvae hatch and eat the fruit from the inside. Because of this, damage and larval presence is difficult to determine. Monitoring for SWD is important so that growers can begin a control method. One monitoring tool is to use a trap with a lure and apple cider vinegar to attract SWD. The objective of this research was to quantify numbers of captured SWD females and males in two commercial traps using lures. One such trap and lure is the Pherocon® SWD Trap, with Specificity Lure, by Trécé, Inc. and a second, the Scentry® SWD Trap by Scentry Biologicals, Inc., were used in this study. To both trap types, 150 ml of apple cider vinegar (ACV), 5% acidity and two drops of Dawn® Original Scent Dishwashing Liquid were added. A third trap, only contained ACV and dishwashing liquid. One of each trap type was placed in two organic blackberry rows at Kentucky State University’s Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm in Franklin County. Traps were also deployed at four grower collaborators in Fayette, Scott and Shelby Counties. Traps were collected weekly. Fruit flies were sorted by SWD females, SWD males and all other Drosophilidae, sexes combined. Preliminary results show that while the Scentry® trap captured more female and male SWD than the Trécé and control traps, the Scentry® trap also caught a far greater number of all other Drosophilidae.

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Spotted Wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, Captures using Two Commercial Lures in Sustainably Grown Blackberries in Central Kentucky

A new invasive pest of small fruit and tree fruit crops, the spotted wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, appeared in Kentucky in 2012. This fruit fly is very destructive to soft-skinned fruit such as blackberries and raspberries. Female SWDs have a saw-like ovipositor, which they use to insert eggs inside undamaged ripening or ripe fruit. Larvae hatch and eat the fruit from the inside. Because of this, damage and larval presence is difficult to determine. Monitoring for SWD is important so that growers can begin a control method. One monitoring tool is to use a trap with a lure and apple cider vinegar to attract SWD. The objective of this research was to quantify numbers of captured SWD females and males in two commercial traps using lures. One such trap and lure is the Pherocon® SWD Trap, with Specificity Lure, by Trécé, Inc. and a second, the Scentry® SWD Trap by Scentry Biologicals, Inc., were used in this study. To both trap types, 150 ml of apple cider vinegar (ACV), 5% acidity and two drops of Dawn® Original Scent Dishwashing Liquid were added. A third trap, only contained ACV and dishwashing liquid. One of each trap type was placed in two organic blackberry rows at Kentucky State University’s Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm in Franklin County. Traps were also deployed at four grower collaborators in Fayette, Scott and Shelby Counties. Traps were collected weekly. Fruit flies were sorted by SWD females, SWD males and all other Drosophilidae, sexes combined. Preliminary results show that while the Scentry® trap captured more female and male SWD than the Trécé and control traps, the Scentry® trap also caught a far greater number of all other Drosophilidae.