Search Results (31)

Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest of many fruit crops worldwide. Employing the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) could mitigate D. suzukii population growth and crop damage. This study evaluated the efficacy of SIT on commercial fruit, by (1) validating the quality of irradiated sterile males (male mating competitiveness, courtship, and flight performance) in the laboratory, and (2) assessing population suppression and fruit damage reduction in commercial raspberry fields. Treatment with SIT was compared to the grower’s standard chemical insecticide program throughout the season. The principal metrics of efficacy were trap counts of wild adult female D. suzukii in crops and larvae per fruit during harvesting. These metrics together with monitoring of border areas allowed targeting of high-pressure areas with higher releases of sterile males, to maximise efficacy for a given release number. The sterile male D. suzukii were as competitive as their fertile non-irradiated counterparts in laboratory mating competitiveness and flight performance studies while fertility egg-to-pupae recovery was reduced by 99%. In commercial raspberry crops, season-long releases of sterile males significantly suppressed the wild D. suzukii population, compared to the grower standard control strategy; with up to 89% reduction in wild female D. suzukii and 80% decrease in numbers of larvae per harvested fruit. Additionally, relative fruit waste (i.e., percentage of harvested fruits rejected for sale) at harvest was reduced for early, mid and late harvest crops, by up to 58% compared to the grower standard control. SIT has the potential to provide an effective and sustainable strategy for managing D. suzukii in raspberries, increasing marketable yield by reducing adult populations, fruit damage and waste fruit. SIT could therefore serve as a valuable tool for integrated pest management practices in berry production systems. Full article

Drosophilidae is a relatively small family within Diptera. However, species of this family occupy a wide range of ecological niches and are frequently found in synanthropic habitats. Additionally, some species are known agricultural pests. The dataset is based on collections of Drosophilidae from eleven regions of Russia. The dataset was uploaded to the GBIF platform in 2024. Published sources specifying exact localities and collection dates were also used. The database includes records dating back to 1867, with the majority of specimens collected by the authors between 2001 and 2024. Collection methods included net sweeping and bait trapping. The dataset contains 2830 occurrence records, with a total of 51,006 specimens of Drosophilidae studied. It includes data on 108 species from two subfamilies, covering 49 regions of Russia. Considering additional published sources, 188 species of Drosophilidae are currently known from Russia, with a complete species list provided. Among the most abundant species in the dataset, 10 species are represented by more than 1000 specimens: Drosophila obscura, Scaptodrosophila rufifrons, Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila phalerata, Drosophila transversa, Drosophila kuntzei, Drosophila histrio, Drosophila testacea, Phortica semivirgo, and Drosophila immigrans. Conversely, 39 species are represented by fewer than 10 specimens in the dataset. Regarding ecological groupings, the most dominant groups are xylosaprobionts (39 species, 40.6%) and mycophages (30 species, 31.3%). Notably, in 2017, the quarantine pest Drosophila suzukii was detected in the European part of Russia. The current knowledge of the Drosophilidae fauna in Russia remains insufficient. Of the 15 regions, only one or two localities are represented in the dataset. The distribution limits and range boundaries of many species remain unknown. Moreover, the local faunas of more than half of Russia’s regions remain unexplored. Full article

We evaluated a novel push–pull control strategy for protecting highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, against spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii. Methyl benzoate (MB) was used as the pushing agent and a previously tested SWD attractive blend of lure-scents was used as the pulling agent. MB dispensers (push) were hung in the canopy and lure-scent dispensers (pull) were hung in yellow jacket traps filled with soapy water around the blueberry bushes. Blueberries were sampled weekly, and any infestation was inspected by examining the breathing tubes of SWD eggs which protrude through the skin of infested fruit. The frequency of infestation, i.e., the proportion of berries infested with at least one egg, and the extent of infestation, i.e., the mean number of eggs in infested berries, were significantly reduced in treatments receiving MB dispensers as a pushing agent when infestation rates were very high. However, the mass trapping devices as a pulling agent did not provide comparable protection on their own and did not produce additive protection when used in combination with the MB dispensers in push–pull trials. We conclude that MB has the potential to be implemented as a spatial repellent/oviposition deterrent to reduce SWD damage in blueberry under field conditions and does not require the SWD attractant as a pulling agent to achieve crop protection. Full article

The spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is native species in Southeast Asia. For over a decade, this invasive pest has been globally expanding. The economic losses to soft fruits and stoned fruits in the United States are increasing every year. Presently, the only viable tool to reduce the SWD population is the continued use of broad-spectrum insecticides. Pesticide resistance is appearing in the populations for the SWD. Organic farmers have limited options to control this pest in open fields. The major goal of this study was to develop cost-effective pest management strategies to manage the SWD using three types of mulches (two plant-based and one fabric-based) to reduce fly population and damage in open blueberry fields in north Florida. The study was conducted in two fruiting seasons (2017 and 2018). The study results demonstrated that the fly trap catches in 2017 shortleaf pine needle mulch had much higher populations (about 2.5-fold) of the SWD than all other treatments. In 2018, the numbers were about 1.7-fold more on shortleaf pine needle mulch than on other treatments. The fine texture of the mulch (pine needles) can easily facilitate the emergence of the SWD if the mulch is not thick enough. Although the pine needles covered the soil surface, it may have been too thin and thus allowed the SWD adults to emerge from the soil without much hindrance. In 2018, a higher population of the SWD was recorded from all the mulching practices. However, there were no significant differences in trap catches between all treatments. In general, the fly population is reduced with the use of pine bark and black weed fabric mulches. This is the first study that reports the effects of three mulches in controlling the SWD populations, which could benefit conventional and organic blueberry growers. Full article

Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a worldwide quarantine pest that is currently undergoing a rapid range expansion in the Americas, Europe, and parts of Africa. It feeds and breeds on soft-skinned fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, and cherries, and can cause significant economic losses to fruit production. This study investigated the occurrence of D. suzukii and its wild host fruits and parasitoids in Liaoning, Northeast China for the first time. Sentinel traps were used to monitor D. suzukii adults, and suspected fruits were collected weekly in four different locations (Wafangdian, Faku, Fengcheng, and Shenyang). The results showed that D. suzukii were distributed in the sweet soft-skinned fruit-production areas of Liaoning, and raspberry was the most infested fruit. During the field survey, four species of wild berries from non-crop habitats were found infested by D. suzukii, and two species of parasitoids (Leptopilina japonica and Asobara japonica) were collected. D. suzukii adult-population dynamics throughout the survey period (June to October) were similar in different survey locations; adult fly populations increased and peaked in August, and then declined until the fly was no longer detectable in October. Full article

Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila—SWD) is an economically important pest of soft and stone fruit worldwide. Control relies on broad-spectrum insecticides, which are neither fully effective nor environmentally sustainable. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a proven, effective and environmentally friendly pest-management tool. Here, we investigated, for the first time, the potential of using SIT to control D. suzukii in field conditions without physical barriers that limit insect invasion. A proprietary method of rearing and irradiation with X-rays was used to obtain males that were > 99% sterile. Sterile males were released twice per week from April to October 2021 on a site in Kent, UK, where everbearing strawberries were grown in open polytunnels. The infestation of wild female D. suzukii was monitored weekly using red sticky traps with dry lure at the treated site and at two similar control sites that did not receive sterile male releases. Releases of sterile males suppressed the wild female D. suzukii population by up to 91% in comparison with the control sites. We thus demonstrated the feasibility of SIT to achieve season-long control of D. suzukii using early, sustained and dynamically targeted releases of sterile males. This provides a promising environmentally friendly method to control this important pest. Full article

The invasion of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) worldwide has disrupted existing or developing integrated pest management (IPM) programs in soft-skinned fruits. Currently, with a reliance on only broad-spectrum insecticides, there is a critical call for alternative control measures. Behavioural control is one of the pillars of IPM, and, in the present study, it is investigated whether mass trapping could be viable for D. suzukii management. By quantifying trap interference in 4 × 4 replicate trapping grids, an estimate of the attraction radius for a certain attractant and context can be obtained. Traps designed for dry trapping (no drowning solution, but a killing agent inside) and synthetic controlled released experimental lures were tested in a two-year field study. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) was included as a reference bait and trials were performed with 5, 10 and 15 m inter-trap spacings at different seasonal timings. Clear trap interference and, hence, overlapping attraction radii were observed both in spring and summer for both the synthetic lures and ACV. In early spring, ACV shows the most potential for mass trapping, however from June onwards, the experimental dry lures show equal or better results than ACV. Based on our findings, workable trap densities are deemed possible, encouraging further development of mass trapping strategies for the control of D. suzukii. Full article

Drosophila suzukii is a neobiotic invasive pest that causes extensive damage to fruit crops worldwide. The biological control of this species has been unsuccessful thus far, in part because of its robust cellular innate immune system, including the activity of professional phagocytes known as hemocytes and plasmatocytes. The in vitro cultivation of primary hemocytes isolated from D. suzukii third-instar larvae is a valuable tool for the investigation of hemocyte-derived effector mechanisms against pathogens such as wasp parasitoid larvae, bacteria, fungi and viruses. Here, we describe the morphological characteristics of D. suzukii hemocytes and evaluate early innate immune responses, including extracellular traps released against the entomopathogen Pseudomonas entomophila and lipopolysaccharides. We show for the first time that D. suzukii plasmatocytes cast extracellular traps to combat P. entomophila, along with other cell-mediated reactions, such as phagocytosis and the formation of filopodia. Full article

The introduction of invasive species is considered one of the major threats to the biodiversity conservation worldwide. In recent years, an Asian invasive species of wasp has set off alarms in Europe and elsewhere in the world, Vespa velutina. The Asian wasp was accidentally introduced in France around 2004 and shortly thereafter it was able to colonise practically all of Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula. The ecological and economic implications of V. velutina invasion and its high colonisation ability have triggered widespread trapping campaigns, usually supported by beekeepers and local governments, with the aim of diminishing its population and its negative impacts. Among the most used control methods are the capture traps, which use a sugary attractant to catch the invasive wasps. However, the species-specific selectivity and efficiency of these traps has been little studied. In this paper, we have analysed the specific identity of the unintentionally trapped insect species from northern Spain (covering one-year period), as well as we have assessed the provided ecosystem services by them. A total of 74 non-target taxa of insects were caught by the V. velutina studied traps, most of them correspond to the orders Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera, the dipterans being the most abundant group. Surprisingly, the most abundant trapped species was the invasive fly, Drosophila suzukii that represented the 36.07% of the total catches. Furthermore, we reported the first record of ectoparasitic mites of the genus Varroa on V. velutina, constituting a newly recorded symbiotic association. Hopefully, the provided information helps to develop new protocols and management tools to control this invasive species in the Iberian Peninsula and other temperate areas of western Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Full article

The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive pest species from Southeast Asia that was recently introduced in Europe and North America. As this fruit fly lays its eggs in ripening soft-skinned fruit, it causes great damage to a variety of crops, including cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, plums and strawberries. Consequently, there is a great demand for an effective and species-specific lure, which requires the development of successful attractants. Until now, there is no lure available that is species-specific and can detect the presence of D. suzukii before infestation. As blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is one of the preferred host crops of D. suzukii, the volatile compounds of R. fruticosus berries are here identified and quantified using multiple headspace SPME (solid phase micro extraction) GC-MS (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry). Subsequently, the attractivity of 33 of the identified compounds was tested with a two-choice laboratory bioassay. Acetaldehyde, hexyl acetate, linalool, myrtenol, L-limonene and camphene came out as significantly attractive to D. suzukii. The first four attractive compounds induced the strongest effect and therefore provided the best prospects to be implemented in a potential lure. These findings could contribute towards the development of more effective attractants for monitoring and mass trapping D. suzukii. Full article

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) infests a variety of commercial fruits, including cherries and other soft-skinned fruits. After the cropping season of most cultivated crop hosts, it heavily infests the fruit of a wild host-plant, Osyris wightiana in southwest China. Here, we employ gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) together with behavioral bioassays and a trapping experiment to identify volatile semiochemicals emitted by O. wightiana that are involved in D. suzukii attraction. GC-EAD recordings of D. suzukii antenna showed responses to 13 compounds, including α-pinene, 3-methylbutyl acetate, 2-hexanol, E-β-ocimene, Z-3-hexenol, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and six unidentified compounds. The flies were attracted by seven individual EAD-active compounds at low doses (0.01 and 0.1 μg), but were repelled at high doses (10 and 100 μg). In a similar manner, a blend of seven EAD-active compounds at low doses (0.1 and 1 μg) was attractive to female flies, but became repulsive at high doses (10 μg). The low dose of the blend was as attractive as the fruit volatiles, although both were less attractive than the fruits. The blend attracted both female and male D. suzukii and other Drosophila flies. The percentage of D. suzukii out of all flies captured by the blend was significantly greater than that captured by the control. These results indicate that the EAD-active volatile compounds emitted by fruits of O. wightiana play an important role in D. suzukii attraction, and have the potential to be used for management of D. suzukii. Full article

(1) Monitoring of Drosophila suzukii is based on the use of effective traps and baits. The current baits are insufficient to provide efficient monitoring. The use of bacteria as bio-catalyzers to produce bioactive volatiles may improve flies’ attraction. Thus, we conducted this work to improve Droskidrink^® bait’s attractiveness using lactic acid bacteria. (2) Different baits that were based on the use of Droskidrink^® were assessed for flies’ attraction in a Droso-Trap^® in a vineyard. Oenococcus oeni, Pediococcus spp., and Lactobacillus spp. were used. The performance of the most attractive species, O. oeni, inoculated into Droskidrink^® was assessed in laboratory tests. The responses of female flies to volatiles produced by Droskidrink^® with O. oeni strains were recorded by electroantennography. (3) Preliminary field assessment of baits recorded O. oeni as the most attractive species. Three strain groups showed adaptation to test conditions. Volatiles extracted by the headspace of baits inoculated with O. oeni, elicited electroantennographic responses from fly antennae. (4) Droskidrink^® inoculated with O. oeni is a highly attractive bait for monitoring. These findings will be useful for improving the attractiveness of D. suzukii commercial baits based on the utilization of LAB volatiles in a strain-dependent manner. Full article

The spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), native to Eastern Asia, is an invasive alien species in Europe and the Americas, where it is a severe pest of horticultural crops, including soft fruits and wine grapes. The conventional approach to controlling infestations of SWD involves the use of insecticides, but the frequency of application for population management is undesirable. Consequently, alternative strategies are urgently needed. Effective and improved trapping is important as an early risk detection tool. This study aimed to improve Droskidrink^® (DD), a commercially available attractant for SWD. We focused on the chemical and behavioral effects of adding the bacterium Oenococcus oeni (Garvie) to DD and used a new trap design to enhance the effects of attractive lures. We demonstrate that microbial volatile compounds produced by O. oeni are responsible for the increase in the attractiveness of the bait and could be later utilized for the development of a better trapping system. Our results showed that the attractiveness of DD was increased up to two-fold by the addition of commercially available O. oeni when combined with an innovative trap design. The new trap-bait combination increased the number of male and especially female catches at low population densities. Full article

Spotted-wing drosophila Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is one of the most important invasive pests of fruit and wine production worldwide. This species feeds on Prunus spp., Rubus spp., Fragaria spp. (Rosaceae), Vaccinium spp. (Ericaceae), Vitis spp. (Vitaceae), and other soft fruits. It causes significant damage because, unlike most other Drosophila species, it oviposits and feeds on healthy fruits. Drosophila suzukii is a quarantine pest that is included on the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) A2 List. This species is native to East Asia and has been rapidly spreading through Europe since 2008. Herein, we report the first records of D. suzukii in European Russia. In 2017 and 2020, we placed baited traps in different districts of the resort city of Sochi (Black sea Coast of the Caucasus, Krasnodar Territory, Russia). Three specimens of D. suzukii were collected in June 2017, two specimens in September 2017, and 44 specimens in September 2020. Specimens were identified by the typical female ovipositor, spotted wings of the males, and other morphological characters. Krasnodar Territory is one of the main fruit-producing regions of Russia. Therefore, populations of this pest should be monitored and measures to minimize economic damage should be taken. Full article

The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a harmful insect pest for soft fruit cultivations. Even though its main hosts belong to the genera Prunus and Rubus, its high polyphagy and adaptability to new environments makes it a serious problem for farmers worldwide, who have reported several economic losses because of this pest. A wide series of proposals to control SWD are available and operate in line with the mechanisms of integrated pest management, demonstrating their high efficiency when applied at the opportune moment. This work aims to apply and validate a physiologically based model which summarises all the available information about D. suzukii biology, such as the relationship between environmental temperature and its development, fertility and mortality rates. The model provided, as a result, a description of a population of SWD females taking into consideration the multiple generations that occurred during the year. Simulations were then compared with field data collected in a three-year survey in two experimental fields located in the Sabina Romana area (Lazio, Italy). More specifically, D. suzukii males were monitored with traps in fields cultivated with mixed varieties of cherries and they were selected because of their clearer identification in comparison to females. Results showed a high level of reliability of simulations in representing the field data, highlighting at the same time that there is no discrepancy in simulating D. suzukii females in order to represent male populations. Full article