PesthighJun–Oct

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Drosophila suzukii

This description was machine-translated.

How to spot it

The Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a small fruit fly that, unlike native species, pierces healthy, still ripening fruits with its serrated ovipositor to lay eggs. The hatching larvae continue to feed inside, causing the fruit to quickly become soft, sunken, and begin to ferment. Thin-skinned berries and stone fruits are primarily affected; an infestation often only becomes apparent shortly before harvest through mushy spots and small larvae visible in the flesh.

Prevention

Harvest fruits as quickly and completely as possible once they are ripe, and do not leave overripe or damaged fruits hanging on the shrub or tree. Collect fallen fruit and infested fruits daily and dispose of them in a sealed bag with household waste, not in the compost. Thin out your plants regularly so that air and sun can reach them better, reducing the warm, moist microclimate in the foliage that favors the fly. Stretch fine mesh crop or insect protection nets (mesh size at most about 0.8 to 1 mm) over vulnerable shrubs well before fruit ripeness, and set up traps with apple cider vinegar as an early warning system to detect the influx in time.