News Focus on: Berries Pest Management
New project for monitoring spotted wing drosophila

A new research project will help Ontario growers monitor for spotted wing drosophila, an invasive vinegar fly that’s a chronic pest of berries and tender fruit. The project will develop a methodology for identifying and quantifying spotted wing drosophila in samples.

Wendy McFadden-Smith, tender fruit and grape IPM specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), details how to acquire and set traps for the insect pest, as well as the process of submitting the samples to the University of Guelph’s Agriculture and Food Laboratory.

The project is funded by Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, Grape Growers of Ontario and Eastern Ontario Berry Growers Association.

For more information on spotted wing drosophila, be sure to check out this video interview featuring ag editor Bree Rody and Jesse MacDonald, knowledge and technology transfer specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Summerland, B.C. |READ MORE