Testing the effectiveness of floor cover and insecticide application for spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii.

Abstract

Drosophila suzukii, commonly referred to as spotted-wing drosophila, is an invasive fruit fly originating from Southeast Asia. This species has become invasive in the United States since 2008 and pose a serious risk to farmers who cannot control spotted-wing drosophila. Female D. suzukii have a serrated ovipositor that allows eggs to be laid underneath the skin of various thin-skinned fruits, such as blueberries. The objective of this study was to see how effective floor cover and insecticide application methods are at combating D. suzukii.