SWD alerts!

Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and lower Hudson Valley of New York are reporting evidence of SWD in fruit and sustained and increased numbers of SWD in traps. In Rhode Island, Heather Faubert reports rearing SWD from raspberries that were collected on June 24 and weekly trap catch on July 8 of 135 SWD in 3 traps set in raspberries and 14 SWD in two traps set in blueberries. In Connecticut, on July 6 Mary Conklin reports SWD found in raspberries and in traps set in blueberries and brambles. In Massachusetts, Sonia Schloemann reports modest increases in trap captures, from 2 females and 1 male the week of June 24th to 6 females and 1 male the week of July 1st with 20% of trap locations catching SWD. Most traps are in border areas of blueberry or raspberry and one capture was from a trap in sweet cherry. In the lower Hudson Valley of NY, Peter Jentsch reports observations of fruit fly oviposition in raspberry fruit (2 out of 25, 8%, fruit affected) in a sprayed planting and oviposition in sweet cherry fruit (14 out of 20, 70%, fruit affected) in an unsprayed orchard. Although SWD identity cannot be confirmed from egg morphology, it is probable this is from SWD.  Time to consider management options.