Spotted Wing Drosophila
Genus species: Drosophila suzukii
Crops of concern: Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are at high risk of SWD infestation. Fall-bearing and late maturing varieties are at greater risk than early maturing ones. June-bearing strawberries may escape injury, whereas late summer fruit on day-neutral varieties may suffer damage. Cherries, both tart and sweet, elderberries, and peaches are also susceptible. Thin-skinned grapes can be infested directly, though cracked or damaged berries are more susceptible. Help with identifying symptoms is found in the fact sheet, Recognize Fruit Damage from Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), from Oregon State University.
Wild Hosts: Our wild berries serve as hosts for SWD – black cap raspberry, low-bush blueberry, wild blackberry, wild raspberry, elderberry; especially those that fruit in late summer. Weeds serve as hosts, including pokeweed. Fruit on wild and landscape shrubs and trees has been shown to support SWD infestations, including autumn olive, honeysuckle, yew, and buckthorn. Definitive information on whether SWD uses a specific plant’s fruit for its habitat was compiled into a list of plants with photos on the factsheet, Noncrop Host Plants of Spotted Wing Drosophila in North America.
Wild and Ornamental Hosts of the Spotted Wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, in Southern New England 1,2– Chris Maier, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT
| Family | Common Name | Genus species |
| Annonaceae | Pawpaw | Asimina triloba |
| Aquifoliaceae | Catberry | Ilex mucronata |
| Araliaceae | Devil’s Walkingstick | Aralia spinosa |
| Berberidaceae | Mayapple | Podophyllum peltatum |
| Caprifoliaceae | Japanese honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica |
| Morrow’s honeysuckle | Lonicera morrowi | |
| American black elderberry | Sambucus nigra canadensis | |
| Celastraceae | Burningbush | Euonymus alatus |
| Cornaceae | Kousa dogwood | Cornus kousa |
| Silky dogwood | Cornus obliqua* | |
| Gray dogwood | Cornus racemosa | |
| Ebenaceae | Common persimmon | Diospyros virginiana |
| Elaeagnaceae | Autumn olive | Elaeagnus umbellata |
| Ericaceae | Black huckleberry | Gaylussacia baccata |
| Blue huckleberry | Gaylussacia frondosa | |
| Highbush blueberry | Vaccinium corymbosum | |
| Blue ridge blueberry | Vaccinium pallidum | |
| Liliaceae | Garden asparagus | Asparagus officinalis |
| Moraceae | Edible Fig | Ficus carica |
| Phytolaccaceae | American pokeweed | Phytolacca Americana |
| Ranunculaceae | Red Baneberry | Actaea rubra |
| Rhamnaceae | Glossy buckthorn | Frangula alnus |
| Common buckthorn | Rhamnus cathartica | |
| Rosaceae | Purple chokeberry | Photinia floribunda |
| Beach plum | Prunus maritima | |
| Black cherry | Prunus serotina | |
| Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | |
| Alleghany blackberry | Rubus allegheniensis | |
| Northern dewberry | Rubus flagellaris | |
| Bristly dewberry | Rubus hispidus | |
| Black raspberry | Rubus occidentalis | |
| Purpleflowering raspberry | Rubus odoratus | |
| Wine raspberry | Rubus phoenicolasius | |
| Solanaceae | Climbing nightshade | Solanum dulcamara |
| Taxaceae | Japanese yew | Taxus cuspidate |
| Vitaceae | Amur peppervine | Ampelopsis brevipedunculata |
| Fox grape | Vitis labrusca | |
| Riverbank grape | Vitis riparia |
1Unpublished original data of Chris Maier, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT.
2Plant names follow the USDA Plants Database.
* This species sometimes is considered a junior synonym of Cornus amomum.