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Raspberries at risk

Greg Loeb's lab, Dept of Entomology, NY State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, has reared SWD from raspberry fruit that were collected on July 5 in Ontario County.

Laura McDermott, Eastern NY Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, reports finding larvae in raspberry fruit collected July 15 in Rensselaer and Albany Counties, NY. Fruit were collected randomly and the sample included a small amount of overripe fruit.  Although the larvae may be SWD, it is not possible to distinguish SWD larvae from other fruit flies.

Infested red raspberry fruit may leave a red juice stain on the berry receptacle when the fruit is picked. Fruit with small indents or bruises where the berry surface appears to have flattened or deflated may be damaged. A salt floatation method may be used for monitoring SWD infestation levels as the season progresses. Immerse fruit in a solution of 1 Tbsp. (14.8 cc) table salt per 1 cup (236.6 ml) water, wait one hour and examine for larvae that float to the surface.

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