Spotted Wing Drosophila

Genus species: Drosophila suzukii

Infestation levels in highly susceptible fruit, such as fall raspberry, can reach 80% to 100% as the fruiting season progresses, without treatment with insecticide to protect the crop. Other delicate mid-summer and late-maturing fruit, such as blueberry, can suffer severe losses of 30% to 50%. Estimates of losses in peach and strawberry were placed at 10% in 2012.

Potential for harm to vulnerable fruit crops in NY due to SWD, an invasive fruit fly. Vulnerable NY fruit crops have a combined farm gate value of $94 M (source – NY, NASS, Fruit Statistics. 2011). Research in 2012 by Cornell University agricultural scientists projected that, without protection, $7 M in NY fruit value could be lost to NY’s farmers due to SWD.

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Fruit Crop	Year	Acreage	Value of Production (M)	Projected Loss (%)	Loss in Value (M)
Raspberry	2010*	500	$   3.746	80%	$ 2.997
Blueberry	2010	900	$   4.521	30%	$ 1.356
Strawberry	2010	1,400	$   6.895	10%	$ 0.702
Peach	2010	1,600	$   7.032	10%	—
Sweet Cherry	2010	700	$   2.255	unknown	—
Tart Cherry	2010	1,500	$   1.360	unknown	—
Grape	2010	37,000	$ 68.400	2%	$ 1.368
Total	—	43,600	$ 94.200	—	$ 7.113

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*No data for raspberry in NY will be collected after 2010. Carroll, Heidenreich and Loeb, 12/20/2012.

Fruit destined for a processing market may be at risk of rejection due to presence of larvae. Home canning and processing may generate complaints from customers that notice SWD larvae in prepared fruit. Farm market fruit may be at risk from SWD development unless displayed in a cooler — refrigeration slows or stops SWD development in fruit.

In areas of the US where SWD has been established longer, growers of berry crops highly susceptible to SWD have resorted to weekly insecticide applications, thereby increasing economic and environmental costs, as well as potentially disrupting established IPM programs.