This week, ending 1 June 2020, first catch was obtained in 4 of 11 tart cherry orchards in the Lake Ontario region. Add to that another orchard that had first catch the previous week (no catch there this week) and we're at almost half of the orchards, especially those within a mile of Lake Ontario, with SWD detections. SWD is starting to show up, though not so much in the berry plantings being monitored across New York. The months of June and July are typical first catch months, so stay tuned — to this blog and also to the ripening of your fruit crops.
Janet van Zoeren, Liz Tee, and Grace Marshall are assisting me with this work in tart cherries. Janet and Liz work in the Lake Ontario Fruit Program of CCE. Grace works in the NYS IPM Program of CCE.
If you grow tart cherries or sweet cherries, keep in mind both these tree fruit crops are susceptible to infestation by SWD when its populations build up near your orchard prior to harvest. It has been shown to be good practice to monitor for this insect in cherries. If you find SWD in your orchard as fruit is ripening, you need to protect the crop with insecticide sprays. If you don't find SWD when fruit is ripening, you don't need to spray and can save a bundle of money.
How to thwart the build up of SWD populations in cherries?
Insecticide choices:
- Choose plum curculio insecticides that also have activity against SWD.
- Choose cherry fruit fly insecticides that also have activity against SWD.
...a pattern is emerging in this suggested approach.
Cultural tactics:
- mow to keep the orchard floor drier, less humid, and less favorable to SWD.
- prune to open the canopy to more air circulation, faster drying, better spray penetration: drier, less humid, and less favorable to SWD.
...a pattern is emerging in the proven research.
Get your 2020 Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Tree Fruit Production, from here cropandpestguides.cce.cornell.edu/ or from the CCE LOF or ENYCH Program you belong to.
Learn more about SWD on the Cornell Fruit Resources SWD webpages, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/, and on the NYS IPM Invasives & Exotics webpages, nysipm.cornell.edu/agriculture/fruits/invasive-species-exotic-pests/.
Let knowledge be your best weapon.