First Adult Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Captured by a Monitoring Trap on May 27th, 2015

The first adult Spotted Wing Drosophila (a male) has been captured by a monitoring trap in the Jefferson City area on May 27^th, 2015. This trap was hung from a mulberry tree that has ripening fruit. So, it’s time to set up monitoring traps for early crops!

Below is a summary of our 2014 experiences in terms of monitoring tools and an overview of the SWD monitoring approach for 2015.

2014 evaluation of commercial and home-made lures for SWD. From late July to late October 2014 the Lincoln University IPM program conducted a field study aimed at comparing the attractiveness of a new synthetic lure (trade name: SWD Pherocon, by Trece Inc.) versus that of the standard yeast / sugar bait (home-made lure) to male and female SWD. The study took place in an unsprayed elderberry plot at the Lincoln University Carver farm (Jefferson City, MO). Traps were deployed in pairs (n= 4), about 10 ft. apart, on fruiting plants. Traps were inspected once a week and all insects captured were taken to the lab for identification. Every week, the one-week old traps were replaced with traps having new baits / lures.

Key findings: As shown in the graphs on the right, the active dry yeast + sugar bait consistently out-competed the new commercial lure.

The table below summarizes captures across the entire season. It reveals that the standard bait was on average 4.8 and 20.3 times more attractive than the new lure, to males and females, respectively.

Monitoring for SWD in 2015. Farmers are encouraged to deploy a monitoring trap starting 3-4 weeks before berry ripening and throughout the harvest season. Place one monitoring trap baited with active dry yeast (1/2 tablespoon), sugar (2 tablespoons) and water (6 ounces) per acre. The trap needs to be hang on a plant, stake, or trellis 3–5 feet above the ground on the most shaded / cooler side of the plant canopy. Because SWD reproduces so quickly under warm weather conditions, the first SWD trapping data are vital to activate pest management programs to prevent rapid population increases and potential infestations on a farm.

For 2015, the Lincoln University and the University of Missouri IPM programs will be monitoring the presence and abundance of SWD in selected locations throughout Missouri. Information will be posted weekly at the MU IPM Pest Monitoring Network website: http://ipm.missouri.edu/pestmonitoring. This year, the SWD monitoring system will be set so that an alert will be sent to farmers / subscribers as soon as the first SWD is detected in traps on a given region. But subsequent captures in the same region won’t result in new alerts.

Articles discussing the importance of SWD monitoring, how to make your own monitoring trap, management option including organic tools can be found at: http://www.LU-IPM.net. Note that the Spotted Wing Drosophila tab has a scroll down menu:

By Dr. Jaime Piñero (Lincoln University IPM program) and Dr. Bruce Barrett (University of Missouri)