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Month: June 2020

Published on Leave a comment on First and sustained catch in Suffolk County

A total of 6 male and 8 female SWD were first caught at two locations in Suffolk County, Long Island, in four traps checked on June 10, set, two each, in raspberries and blueberries. The following week, on June 16, sustained catch was obtained at these two sites with a total of 15 male and 18 female SWD being found. These traps are being monitored by Faruque Zaman, Suffolk County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

A picture showing a female SWD with an egg near her ovipositor.
A photomicrograph of a female SWD showing an egg near her ovipositor.

Female SWD being seen under the microscope have evidence of egg development. They are ready and willing to lay eggs in your fruit once it ripens.

Fruit at both locations is still green and hard, although ripening will be proceeding. Growers should be watchful for the onset of ripening, which signals fruit susceptibility to SWD egg laying and risk of subsequent infestation. Keeping tabs on fruit maturity is particularly important because SWD populations are on the rise in these locations on Long Island.

Think SWD management - mowing row middles, weed management within the row, pruning to improve air circulation, monitoring for SWD and for fruit infestation, sanitation of cull fruit, cold storage after harvest.

Raspberries and blueberries can tolerate cold storage temperatures close to 32° F, so don't be afraid to put your fruit in a cold storage to keep it crisp and fresh and kill or slow down SWD egg and larval development.

Consider all the things you can do to thwart this insect that will enhance the efficacy of your insecticide management program. Then plan accordingly. Updated Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here (refresh the page to get the latest version):

Learn everything you can about SWD. Start by checking out the information on Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

Published on Leave a comment on Tart cherry update – Lake Ontario region

Overall, still a quiet week for SWD trap captures in the Lake Ontario region's tart cherries. Although SWD was caught across the region, only 2 at most in the two traps set per orchard. Traps were checked Monday and Tuesday, June 15 and 16. Elizabeth Tee and Janet van Zoeren, Lake Ontario Fruit Program, and Grace Marshall and Juliet Carroll, NYS IPM Program, are participating in this study along with nine fruit growers.

In our 11 study orchards, SWD has been caught in 5 of the 6 “lake” blocks and in 3 of the 5 “inland” blocks. Specific trap catch results for this week were:

  • Zero SWD in six orchards out of 11.
  • First catch in one orchard = 1 female in edge trap.
  • Recatch in three orchards = 1 male in edge trap; 2 females in edge trap; 1 male & 1 female in interior trap. Each orchard had one week with zero SWD between first catch and this week’s catch.
  • Sustained catch in one orchard = 1 male in interior trap this week and 1 male in edge trap last week.

SWD populations were still low over the past week in tart cherry orchards. What can we credit with keeping SWD populations low, so far? Some possibilities include:

  • Choosing insecticides that are also effective against SWD for other key cherry insect pests such as plum curculio or the Rhagoletis fruit flies (cherry fruit fly, black cherry fruit fly, European cherry fruit fly).
  • The dry weather and low humidity.
  • Lack of alternate fruit resources in the wild, due to freeze events.
  • Slow progression of fruit development, due to the cold spring.
  • Possibly the cold weather last week and cold nights lately.

Populations are low in berries, too, in western NY. This past week, SWD was only caught in one of the 12 berry sites in the Lake Ontario, Finger Lakes, and Central NY regions that we are monitoring.

Cherry fruit is starting to color.

Be watchful of your crop's development. Now is the time to plan your SWD management strategy so you have a good selection of rotational insecticides to protect your crop through to harvest.

Picture of Juliet Carroll, NYS IPM Program, servicing an SWD trap hung in a tart cherry tree.
Juliet Carroll checks a SWD trap in a tart cherry orchard to help determine the need to spray, as fruit ripen.

For cherry fruit fly management (Rhagoletis spp.), choose insecticides that also have activity against SWD to keep the population down and protect your fruit from Rhagoletis fruit flies. Refer to the SWD Insecticide Quick Guide for tree fruit and grapes www.hort.cornell.edu/fruit/pdfs/swd/treefruit-grape-insecticides.pdf. Cross-reference this with the Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Tree Fruit Production. Select insecticides wisely. 

SWD can lay eggs in ripening cherries. If SWD has been caught in your orchard, ripening and ripe cherries will be at risk of SWD infestation. Pay close attention to preharvest intervals (PHI) and plan insecticide use so you have materials with lower PHI for use close to harvest. Rotate IRAC groups for resistance management. Drosophilids are known to develop insecticide resistance. Follow label directions. Be wise.

SWD management tactics

  • Mowing – to reduce humidity and niches for SWD harborage and to increase sun penetration. Research has shown this works in tart cherry orchards in Michigan.
  • Weed management – to reduce humidity, alternate fruiting hosts and harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Pruning – to reduce humidity and to increase sun and spray penetration. Research has shown this works in tart cherry orchards in Michigan. Improve your pruning strategy this winter.
  • Monitoring – to know if SWD is present when fruit is ripening. Don't spray unless SWD is caught. Some years your crop may not need a targeted program for SWD.
  • Sanitation – to reduce reproduction harborage and overall SWD population. Important in diversified fruit farms.
  • Cold storage – to slow or kill any eggs and larvae in harvested fruit. Not applicable for a processing crop harvested into water tanks. SWD won't survive in water tanks; larvae may float to the surface or fruit may float higher because the infestation changes their buoyancy.

Bookmark online resources

Published on Leave a comment on Sustained catch in Niagara County

Although SWD numbers in western NY remain low, sustained catch of 1 female and 1 male SWD in a trap set on the edge of a blueberry planting was obtained in Niagara County on June 16, 2020. These traps are being monitored by Liz Tee, Lake Ontario Fruit Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Photo of unripe blueberries into which SWD can't lay eggs.
Unripe blueberry fruit is too hard for SWD to lay eggs in.

Reports of purple color showing up on blueberry fruit harkens ripening and the upcoming harvest. Please prepare to manage SWD in tender fruit crops when they are ripe.

A good approach during harvest is to check fruit with salt flotation periodically. This is especially important if you are planning a low- to no-spray approach to managing SWD, so that you know when fruit is infested and you may need to shut down picking operations, do a clean harvest, and up your spray program. Check out, Guidelines for Checking Fruit for SWD Larvae in the Field, authored by Laura McDermott, ENYCHP.

Pest management for SWD includes:

  • Mowing – to reduce humidity and niches for SWD harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Weed management – to reduce humidity, alternate fruiting hosts and harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Pruning – to reduce humidity and to increase sun and spray penetration.
  • Monitoring – to know if SWD is present when fruit is ripening.
  • Sanitation – to reduce reproduction harborage and overall SWD population.
  • Cold storage – to slow or kill any eggs and larvae in harvested fruit.

Online Resources:

SWD Management, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here:

Published on Leave a comment on First catch in Clinton County

Five female and one male SWD were caught in two traps set on the edge of a blueberry planting in Clinton County. The traps were checked on June 15, 2020. Fruit is developing nicely, yet still green. These traps are being monitored by Andy Galimberti and Elisabeth Hodgdon, Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Reports of fruit beginning to change color or develop a blush, especially where exposed to sun, brings up an important point for you. It is time to pay attention to the color stage of your blueberries. When they are fully pink, SWD females can lay eggs in them. This has been ascertained in no-choice tests in laboratories. Your fruit planting might not be a “no-choice” arena for SWD females, but if she needs to lay eggs and your fruit are ripening, they may be at risk.

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries (both sweet and tart), plums, blackberries, June berries, etc. – all can be infested by SWD. Read more about SWD Hosts at fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/hosts/. A lot depends on the overlap of when the SWD population builds up in your area and when the onset of fruit ripening through harvest occurs. When these two worlds collide, bad things can happen to your fruit crop.

A composite image showing the characters that distinguish SWD males from females.
Key characteristics to identify SWD.

Be prepared. Learn how to monitor SWD. Look just for the males with their characteristic single, gray-black polka dot on the leading edge tip of each wing. (I used to love polka dots…) Baited yellow sticky cards hung in a shady area near your crop of interest will do the trick. Check them and clean them routinely. More on this technique in another post.

Do everything you can, that is feasible on your farm operation, to manage this pest. SWD IPM includes:

  • Mowing – to reduce humidity and niches for SWD harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Weed management – to reduce humidity, alternate fruiting hosts and harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Pruning – to reduce humidity and to increase sun and spray penetration.
  • Monitoring – to know if SWD is present when fruit is ripening.
  • Sanitation – to reduce reproduction harborage and overall SWD population.
  • Cold storage – to slow or kill any eggs and larvae in harvested fruit.

SWD Management, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here:

Refresh the page to see the latest versions.

Check out Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

Published on Leave a comment on First catch in Essex County

A single female SWD was caught in a trap set on the edge of a raspberry planting in Essex County. The traps were checked on June 15, 2020. Fruit is starting to develop, but is still green and not susceptible to egg-laying. These traps are being monitored by Andy Galimberti and Elisabeth Hodgdon, Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension.

This picture shows green fruit on raspberry canes that aren't susceptible to SWD egg laying.
Green fruit on raspberry aren't susceptible to SWD.

So far, SWD has been caught in 8 of the 23 counties where traps are being monitored across NY State. No sustained catch, which is catch two weeks in a row, yet.

Brush up on SWD management, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

Learn more about SWD. Check out the information on Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

Published on Leave a comment on 40 SWD caught in Albany County

Ten female and 30 male SWD were caught in four traps set in and around a raspberry planting in Albany County. Yes, this is the first catch at this location — last week zero, zilch, nada. Talk about accelerated population growth! These traps are being monitored by Natasha Field, Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program (ENYCHP), Cornell Cooperative Extension. The traps were checked on June 15, 2020. Fruit is small and green and, therefore, not susceptible to egg-laying. But...

Are you managing a diversified fruit farm?

With SWD numbers this high, 40 SWD, any fruit that is susceptible, ripe and ripening will be at risk of infestation. Please sample your June strawberry harvests and sweet cherry harvests and check them via salt flotation.

Picture of strawberry fruit with an egg-laying site.
Evidence of oviposition into June strawberry found 20 June 2019, by Jim O'Connell, CCE Assoc of Ulster County. Notice the delicate white breathing tubes and the small area of sunken, tan tissue where the larva is inside the fruit.

Information is summarized in this pdf, Guidelines for Checking Fruit for SWD Larvae in the Field, authored by Laura McDermott, ENYCHP.

Always consider the sum total of management tactics you can do to thwart this insect. One thing at this time of year for diversified fruit farms is careful attention to strawberry harvests and field renovation. Laura McDermott and I wrote a blog on this topic, which you should review now.  Renovate Strawberry Plantings Promptly, blogs.cornell.edu/swd1/2018/06/27/renovate-strawberry-plantings-promptly/

Pest management for SWD includes:

  • Mowing – to reduce humidity and niches for SWD harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Weed management – to reduce humidity, alternate fruiting hosts and harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Pruning – to reduce humidity and to increase sun and spray penetration.
  • Monitoring – to know if SWD is present when fruit is ripening.
  • Sanitation – to reduce reproduction harborage and overall SWD population.
  • Cold storage – to slow or kill any eggs and larvae in harvested fruit.

Am I repeating myself? –yes!
Should you pay attention? –yes!

SWD Management, http://fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here:

Refresh the page to see the latest version.

Learn more about SWD. Check out the information on Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

Published on Leave a comment on Higher numbers in cherry at HVL in Ulster County

First catch of five female and five male SWD were caught in traps set in a sweet cherry planting at the Hudson Valley Research Laboratory. The traps were checked on June 14, 2020 — yesterday. Fruit is starting to change color and will become susceptible to egg-laying soon.

A trap to monitor SWD set in a tart cherry tree.
Scentry SWD trap set in a tart cherry. Fruit are coloring and will soon be ripe for harvest. When ripening and ripe, cherries can be infested by SWD.

These traps are being monitored by Lydia Brown, research technician with Peter Jentsch, Entomology, Hudson Valley Research Laboratory, Cornell University.

Ten SWD is a considerable uptick in SWD numbers, compared to earlier in the week! And vulnerable cherries are beginning to ripen. It’s time to take SWD IPM planning seriously.

Consider FIRST all the things you can do in the list below to thwart this insect that will enhance the efficacy of the insecticide management program and protect your harvest.

Pest management for SWD includes:

  • Mowing – to reduce humidity and niches for SWD harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Weed management – to reduce humidity, alternate fruiting hosts and harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Pruning – to reduce humidity and to increase sun and spray penetration.
  • Monitoring – to know if SWD is present when fruit is ripening.
  • Sanitation – to reduce reproduction harborage and overall SWD population.
  • Cold storage – to slow or kill any eggs and larvae in harvested fruit.

Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here (refresh the page to see the latest version):

SWD Management, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

Learn more about SWD. Knowledge is power. Check out the information on Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

Published on Leave a comment on First catch in Rensselaer County

Two male SWD were caught in a trap set on the edge of a blueberry planting and raspberry high tunnel in Rensselaer County. The traps were checked on June 9, 2020. Fruit are developing nicely, but still not susceptible to egg-laying. These traps are being monitored by Laura McDermott, Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Photo of a bumblebee feeding on a raspberry flower.
A wild pollinator feeding on a fall raspberry flower. Remember to keep pollinators safe from your insecticide program.

The Northeastern IPM Center SWD Working Group put together these IPM guides:

SWD Management, http://fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources has a summary on management and links to the Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State, found here:

Refresh the page to see the latest version.

 

Published on Leave a comment on First catch in Ulster County

One male and one female SWD were caught in a trap set on the edge of a raspberry planting in Ulster County. The traps were checked on June 11, 2020. Fruit is developing but still hard and green — not yet susceptible to egg-laying. These traps are being monitored by Jim O’Connell, Ulster County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

As fruit start to ripen, keep in mind the key tactics for SWD management:

  • Mowing – to reduce humidity and niches for SWD harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Weed management – to reduce humidity, alternate fruiting hosts and harborage and to increase sun penetration.
  • Pruning – to reduce humidity and to increase sun and spray penetration.
  • Monitoring – to know if SWD is present when fruit is ripening.
  • Sanitation – to reduce reproduction harborage and overall SWD population.
  • Cold storage – to slow or kill any eggs and larvae in harvested fruit.
A photomicrograph shows the differences between a male and a female SWD.
Female SWD (left) and male SWD (right), viewed through a dissecting microscope after being drown in an apple cider vinegar trap. Note the serrated ovipositor on the female and the dark single spot on each wing of the male.

Get more details at SWD Management, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

SWD Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here (refresh the page to see the latest version):

Learn more about SWD. Check out the information on Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

Published on Leave a comment on First catch in Livingston County
Picture of an SWD male sowing the spot on each wing.
Live SWD male, note spot on each wing.

One male SWD was caught in a trap set in a small blueberry planting in Livingston County. The traps were checked on June 8, 2020. Plants were at petal fall when traps were serviced last week. These traps are being monitored by Dave Thorp, Livingston County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Plants aren’t susceptible to SWD until fruit are changing color and nearing ripeness. Brush up on SWD Management, http://fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/management/ on Cornell Fruit Resources.

Insecticide Quick Guides for NY State are found here:

Refresh the page to see the latest version.

Learn more about SWD. Check out the information on Cornell Fruit Resources Spotted Wing Drosophila, http://fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.

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