Category: 2023 trap network

Spotted wing first trap catch is showing up across many parts of the state this week. At highest numbers caught yet this year, we found first catch this morning in Columbia county in ripe sweet and sour cherries.

2 males were found on red sticky traps, and 4 males and 3 females were found in jar drowning traps.

One male was captured in a drowning jar trap in Rensselaer County on Sunday 6/19 in an Amelanchier (serviceberry) hedgerow. Thanks to Dale-Ila Riggs at the Berry Patch for monitoring at her farm and providing this information.

We expect SWD to be prevalent throughout most of the Capital Region soon, particularly after the ample rainfall we received last week. We will continue to provide updates as it is identified in other locations.

One of the management tactics Dale-Ila is deploying includes exclusion netting. She has been using netting and collaborating with CCE research on this practice for a number of years, with outstanding results. This type of management can provide 100% control if properly executed. Dale-Ila is currently in the process of putting up nets and hopes to have them in place by the end of the week.

Insect exclusion netting can be installed prior to the arrival of SWD to create a physical barrier between the insects and the fruit. Netting is woven polyethylene yarn, available in different gauges (i.e. hole size). Field trials have demonstrated that 80 gram netting (1.0 x 0.6 mm) is effective for exclusion, but 60 gram netting is not. Netting is 100% effective if effectively managed, meaning netting is installed before SWD arrives, no holes are present, and nets are routinely inspected and maintained throughout the season. Netting also provides protection from other damage, such as birds, high wind, and hail. For more detailed information, see Thinking exclusion? on the NYSIPM Spotted Wind Drosophila blog.

The first spotted wing drosophila of the season was trapped yesterday.

1 female was caught in a drowning jar trap in a blueberry planting in Penn Yan (Yates county).  Thank you to Anya Osatuke for checking that trap!

Fruits of susceptible crops can be attacked as soon as they begin to blush or soften. Susceptible crops include raspberries, blackberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches, and thin-skinned grapes.

Spotted wing can be managed using a combination of cultural and chemical practices. You will need to be diligent.

• Excellent sanitation will reduce SWD populations. Fruit should be harvested frequently and completely to prevent the buildup of ripe and over-ripe fruit. Unmarketable fruit should be removed from the field and either frozen, “baked” in clear plastic bags placed in the sun, or disposed of in bags off-site. This will kill larvae, remove them from your crop, and prevent them from emerging as adults.
• Cool berries immediately. Chilling berries immediately after harvest to 32° – 34° F will slow or stop the development of larvae and eggs in the fruit. U-Pick customers should be encouraged to refrigerate fruit immediately to maintain fruit quality at home.
• An open canopy and dripline irrigation will make the environment less favorable. Prune to maintain an open canopy, increase sunlight and reduce humidity. This will make plantings less attractive to SWD and will improve spray coverage. Repair leaking drip lines and avoid overhead irrigation when possible. Allow the ground and mulch surface to dry before irrigating.
• Insecticide sprays will kill SWD adults and thereby reduce egg laying. Insecticide treatments should begin at first SWD trap catch when highly susceptible fruit crops, such as raspberries and blackberries, begin ripening.
  Insecticides should be re-applied at least every seven days and more often in the event of rain. Choose the most effective insecticides with pre-harvest intervals that work for your picking schedule. Rotate insecticides according to their modes of action. Quick reference guides can be found for berries or stone fruits.