One male SWD has been caught during the week starting May 16 and ending May 22 in one of four traps set in a blueberry planting in Erie County. The trap that caught the SWD was on the edge of the planting next to a woody hedgerow. Sharon Bachman, Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension, sent in this information today for the traps she is monitoring.
Given the relatively mild winter, we were concerned about SWD being found in NY fruit plantings early this year.
All the traps my program is monitoring, in Cayuga, Onondaga, Schuyler, and Wayne Counties, in berries and tart cherries had zero SWD caught for this week.
If there's no fruit starting to color, there's no need for an insecticide spray.
Be vigilant this year with your June strawberries. Look for rough patches of slightly sunken areas on fruit that appear dull red in color. Later maturing varieties may be at risk this year.
More information on SWD? Consult Cornell Fruit Resources' spotted wing pages, http://fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/.