Spotted Wing Drosophila Update – July 18, 2014

Joanne Whalen, Extension IPM Specialist;jwhalen@udel.edu

During the past week, we saw an increase in trap catches for Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) adults but in general numbers are still low (highest catch was 5 per week). Unfortunately, there are no thresholds available based on trap catches. Small fruit growers (especially bramble and blueberry growers) will need to maintain their spray schedules for this very damaging insect pest. Information from surrounding states indicates that they are seeing the same trend. The following link from Pennsylvania provides information on what they are currently seeing as well as monitoring and management information:

http://extension.psu.edu/plants/tree-fruit/news/2014/swd-is-present-in-pa-…-swd-update-july-10-2014