Although we are finished our regular weekly reporting for this season, we continue to monitor in some locations for SWD. At risk now are later season fruit, particularly fall raspberries. Current standard recommendations are to use first and sustained trap captures to initiate management programs. In some cases monitoring concludes at this point. In many locations, monitoring continues through the season to detect populations present.
Trap captures of spotted wing drosophila (SWD) have been very high for the month of August in most locations throughout NY state. Populations are specific to site, year, and conditions, and populations can increase rapidly. It is critical to monitor at your location to have the best information for deciding management actions.
Fruit infestation can also be checked using a salt float to detect larvae in the fruit. Instructions are available on the Cornell Fruit Resources webpage or a PDF can be downloaded at this direct link. It’s a quick field test that can be accomplished in a just a few minutes of sampling and then waiting for the larvae to emerge.
Weekly SWD trap captures by location across NY in 2025
Thank you to all of our collaborators for servicing SWD traps across the state!