Two male SWD were caught in a trap collected on July 25 in a raspberry planting and one male SWD was caught in a trap also collected on July 25 in a sweet cherry orchard in Onondaga County by Julie Carroll, NYS IPM Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension. The raspberries in the planting are ripe and harvest is underway. Sweet cherry harvest is essentially complete. Sweet cherry fruit have been collected and, to date, no SWD have been reared out of the cherry fruit samples. (Accumulated GDD 1481, day length 14:41)
Cayuga County – first report
Two male SWD, within a raspberry planting, and one female SWD, on the edge of the planting, were caught in traps collected on July 25 in Cayuga County by Julie Carroll, NYS IPM Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension. The raspberries in the planting are beginning to ripen. It is certainly time to plan SWD management strategies to protect berry crops. At this same location, in four traps in a harvested sweet cherry orchard an identified total of 36 SWD were caught, 8 females and 28 males. In one trap, only half of the vinegar flies were counted because it contained over 8,000 individuals. Taking into account the SWD from this trap and doubling those, brings the total estimated count to 45 SWD, 11 females and 34 males. (Accumulated GDD 1416, day length 14:40)
Tompkins County – first report
Three male and 1 female SWD were collected in the whole wheat dough combo trap in a blackberry planting in Tompkins County on 7/24/13 by Johanna Elsensohn, Greg Loeb's lab, Dept of Entomology, Cornell University. The traps had been set two weeks prior. (Accumulated GDD 1447, day length 14:40)
Clinton County – first report
Twenty-one male and 12 female SWD were caught in two traps set in the hedgerow near a blueberry planting in Clinton County by Amy Ivy, Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Clinton County. No SWD were caught in the two traps in the blueberry planting. This finding may underline how poorly the trap bait competes with fruit for SWD's attention. (Accumulated GDD 1344, day length 14:52)
Washington County – first report
Laura McDermott, Eastern NY Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, reports two male SWD caught in traps set in a blueberry planting hedgerow in Washington County. Traps were collected on July 22. More on SWD management. (Accumulated GDD 1483, day length 14:47)
Rensselaer County – first report
Laura McDermott, Eastern NY Horticulture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, reports four male SWD caught in traps set in one location in Rensselaer County and three male SWD caught at another location. All the traps that caught SWD were set in hedgerows of berry plantings of blueberry and high tunnel raspberry (not day-neutral strawberry, as previously reported) and were collected on July 22. More on SWD management. (Accumulated GDD 1287, day length 14:44)
Livingston County – first report
One male and one female SWD were caught in traps set in a raspberry planting in Livingston County by David Thorp, Livingston County Cornell Cooperative Extension, and identified by yours truly. Last week's extreme heat in western NY may have hampered trap captures while this week's moderate daytime temperature and cool nights may have favored insect activity and trap captures. Keep in mind that traps compete poorly with fruit for SWD. Routine harvest so as not to leave any ripe fruit in the planting is a good tactic against SWD infestation. (Accumulated GDD 1252, day length 14:40)
Seneca County – first report
Two female SWD were caught in a trap set in a blueberry planting in Seneca County collected on July 17 by Johanna Elsensohn, Research Support Specialist with Greg Loeb, Dept of Entomology, Cornell University. (Accumulated GDD 1325, day length 14:54)
SWD look-a-likes
For those of us picking through the burgeoning number of vinegar flies caught in our traps to find the single female or male SWD, Faruque Zaman and Dan Gilrein, Suffolk County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Laboratory, have written an article published in Vol 12, No 7 of the NY Berry News, starting on page 3. Two excellent figures show male and female SWD next to look-a-likes. Another excellent resource for SWD identification is the fact sheet from Penn State, Spotted Wing Drosophila, Part 1: Overview and Identification.
Schuyler County – first report
SWD has been caught in a trap set in woods adjacent to a blueberry plantation in eastern Schuyler County by Greg Loeb's lab, Dept of Entomology, Cornell University. One male and one female were caught during the week preceding July 11; four males and four females were caught during the week preceding July 17. The time for concern about this difficult-to-control invasive insect is upon us. Carefully planned strategies for management of SWD should be developed, especially for late summer and fall fruit crops. (As of July 11, accumulated GDD 1247, day length 15:01)