SWD capture was sustained this week in Suffolk County at the blueberry planting. A total of 4 SWD were caught in traps checked on June 15, 2016. Dr. Faruque Zaman, Suffolk County Cornell Cooperative Extension and Long Island Horticutural Research and Extension Center, has two traps (one set on the crop border row and one set within the crop) in each of four crops: (1) blueberry, where he has now seen sustained capture of SWD, (2) blackberry, (3) summer raspberry, and (4) grape. Only in the grape traps was SWD not caught this week.
In blackberry, both traps caught a total of five SWD. In summer raspberry, both traps caught SWD—4 females and 1 male in the border trap and 1 female and 1 male in the trap in the planting. This summer raspberry planting has <1% ripe fruit. A collection of 30 nearly ripe fruit (see picture) were examined in the laboratory for egg laying sites and none were found.
Growers, extension educators, and consultants are advised that because this is an early year for SWD arrival in New York. It will be very important to check summer raspberry and blueberry fruit for signs of SWD infestation in order to time the beginning of insecticide sprays, rather than relying solely on trap captures. For late season maturing fruit (fall raspberry, late season blueberry, elderberry, day neutral strawberry, blackberry, stone fruit and susceptible grape varieties) it will likely prove to be a very challenging year for SWD management.