7.25.13 Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)
More SWD has been captured in the Downeast growing area on the blueberry barrens. Male SWD was caught and confirmed in a few locations. At the University of Maine, Blueberry Hill Farm SWD have been caught in more locations throughout the fields there. So far our fruit sampling (several fields sampled yesterday) has not revealed any SWD larvae in the fruit, but the recent capture of male SWD suggests that reproduction of this pest in blueberry fruit may have commenced. If you are capturing male SWD consider protecting the crop until harvest.
Blueberry fruit fly (BFF) appears to be in high densities in many locations throughout the state. Do not forget about monitoring and managing for this significant pest. Some fields have noticeable BFF attack in their fields demonstrated by considerable shrunken berries.
Again, as stated earlier in the week, we recommend that you continue to be vigilant and monitor for BOTH SWD and BFF. Be prepared to protect your crop if SWD trap captures occur. Again, hopefully, a significant amount of harvest can occur prior to SWD captures in some fields.