Spotted Wing Drosophila Update: November 4, 2016
Click on photo to enlarge.
David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist; Frank Drummond, Professor of Insect Ecology/Entomology
Warmer temperatures and some rain have resulted in an upsurge of spotted wing drosophila trap catches in some locations, while numbers continued a downward trend in others. Once the weather settles into a colder pattern, we expect fly populations will decline rapidly, based on our experience in previous years. Our monitoring sites are done harvesting for the season, and we have removed our traps from the fields. If you still have any fields or high tunnels being harvested, drosophila pose a significant threat to any remaining fruit. A 5 to 7 day spray interval is recommended to prevent infestations of larvae. See the New England Small Fruit Management Guide for pesticide options.
We’d like to thank the farmers who allowed us to set up traps in their fields and share the data with you. Thanks also to our scouts, Lindsey Ridlon, Shannon Buzzell, Hannah Kerrigan, Danielle Murray, and Pat McManus. Special thanks to Christina Hillier for counting all those flies!
| Town | Spotted Wing Drosophila weekly trap catch 10/21/16 |
Spotted Wing Drosophila weekly trap catch 10/28/16 |
Spotted Wing Drosophila weekly trap catch 11/04/16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limington* | 303 | 301 | 1,077 |
| Limerick | 2,832 | 1,722 | 11,472 |
| Wells | 677 | 539 | 171 |
| Cape Elizabeth | 1,976 | 1,384 | 347 |
| Bowdoinham | 198 | 132 | 390 |
| Dresden | 4,264 | 431 | 2,992 |
| Freeport | 109 | 132 | 11 |
| Poland Spring | 3,336 | 1,066 | 442 |
| Mechanic Falls | 136 | 138 | 104 |
| Monmouth* | 4,312 | 625 | 232 |
| Wales | 176 | 134 | 298 |
| Wayne | 9,880 | 5,472 | 9,592 |
| Farmington | 2,376 | 1,712 | 968 |
| *unsprayed planting | |||
David T. Handley
Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist
Highmoor Farm, P.O. Box 179, 52 US Route 202, Monmouth, ME 04259, 207.933.2100
UMaine Extension Diagnostic Research Lab, Pest Management Unit, 17 Godfrey Drive, Orono, ME 04473, 1.800.287.0279
For more information on identifying spotted wing drosophila (SWD) and updates on populations in Maine, visit our SWD blog.
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