Staying on top of SWD threat


Growers advised to keep doing their part because SpottedWing Drosophila isn’t about to go away.


By Judie Steeves T


his year’s winter and spring trapping program indicates that Spotted Wing Drosophila


is still present, so growers must plan to manage it during the growing season, reports Tracy Hueppelscheuser, entomologist with the agriculture ministry in Abbotsford. Local research up to now supports


the recommendations the ministry has been giving growers about management of the devastating new pest, she says. The adult or fly stage is influenced by temperatures, so the rate of


population build-up is slower when the weather is cooler, but speeds up as it warms, and during a warmer spring, it’s earlier than in a cooler one. The bottom line, though, is that SWD is not going to go away, she commented, so it’s vital that growers manage it. Area-wide monitoring


and the study of new management approaches are expected to continue this season,


Hueppelscheuser said. Growers are advised to remove alternate hosts, such as blackberries, from areas near crop fields that are not in riparian areas to reduce feeding and breeding sites for SWD, or cut them back to prevent fruiting. Make sure cull fruit has been removed and buried and that equipment and processing areas are free of old fruit, to reduce breeding


sites. Pick early, pick clean


and pick often, to prevent infestation of ripe fruit. Apply registered


spays as recommended, except when bees are in the area. Ensure adequate coverage, particularly in the lower, shaded part of the canopy. Rotate between different recommended products.


A post-harvest spray may be necessary to prevent flies from building up on residual fruit and spreading to adjacent later crops. Spray timing is critical. Fruit must be protected, from June through October. For more information, go to the ministry website at:


www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/swd_ management.pdf


18 British Columbia Berry Grower • Summer 2013


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