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Sustained Catch of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) in St. Lawrence County

SWD (Drosophila suzukii) is found all over New York state and is a pest to gardeners and fruit growers alike. If you have raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries likely you already have SWD in your bushes. SWD is native to Asia and was discovered in California raspberries in 2008. It gets its name from the spot on the wings of the males.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County, with the help of two Master Gardener Volunteers (Ken Kogut and Nancy Alessi), participates in a monitoring program for SWD through the New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYSIPM) Program https://blogs.cornell.edu/swd1/category/swd-info/

This year traps were set on July 6th with first catch on July 13th and sustained catches at two locations on July 20th with all locations trapping SWD by this date too. 2022 saw our first catch on July 28th with sustained catches in three locations on August 4th. Researchers suspect that it is because of our mild winter that more adults were able to survive and that is why we are seeing these pests earlier this year.

Photo of an insect trap hanging in a raspberry plant.
Scentry jar trap for SWD set in a raspberry patch. NYSIPM
Photo of an insect trap hanging in a tree.
A Trece red sticky card trap and lure set in a tart cherry tree to monitor for SWD. NYSIPM

Read more Sustained Catch of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) in St. Lawrence County

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Citizen Science, Helping to SPOT Invasive Species

It is likely you have recently heard about the spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula. Whether it is a 4-H entomology project in Kansas or in the local paper, this invasive insect is bad news.

Spotted lanternfly (SLF) is a planthopper originally from Asia. It is a very effective hitchhiker and likely caught a ride on a shipment of stone from Asia to Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. SLF is an effective invasive and it has been spreading into other counties within PA and to other states. New York had its first spotting of adults and one breeding population in 2020. As of September 2021, there are 13 counties that have documented populations of SLF.

Why should you care? Penn State’s Extension notes, “SLF is a serious invasive pest with a healthy appetite for our plants and it can be a significant nuisance, affecting the quality of life and enjoyment of the outdoors. The spotted lanternfly uses its piercing-sucking mouthpart to feed on sap from over 70 different plant species. It has a strong preference for economically important plants including grapevines, maple trees, black walnut, birch, willow, and other trees. The feeding damage significantly stresses the plants which can lead to decreased health and potentially death. As SLF feeds, the insect excretes honeydew (a sugary substance) which can attract bees, wasps, and other insects. The honeydew also builds up and promotes the growth for sooty mold (fungi), which can cover the plant, forest understories, patio furniture, cars, and anything else found below SLF feeding.”

To read more from the Penn State Extension, visit here. Or watch a short video about SLF from Penn State Extension. Penn State continues to do SLF research and released an article evaluating the risks spotted lanternfly may pose to a variety of agriculture crops. Read more Citizen Science, Helping to SPOT Invasive Species