Reducing overwintering populations

Precision monitoring Sentinel Fruit Trap in woodland

In AHDB-funded research at Niab’s East Malling site, where grids of 64 attractive precision monitoring traps spaced at eight metres were deployed in native woodlands adjacent to soft fruit crops, fewer spotted wing drosophila (SWD) adults emerged from the woodlands in spring and there were fewer SWD caught in the adjacent crop at the start of the season.

During the monitoring process, data also showed that the traps nearest the crop on the woodland edge captured the most SWD, enabling growers to make better decisions about trap placement. Although numbers of SWD increased in the crop later in the year, a reduced population of the pest emerging in spring will help growers to manage the pest more effectively early in the season. This is particularly important, for example, if using Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), as a lower starting population will enable SIT to work more effectively.

Bait sprays
Push-pull control strategies
Sterile Insect Technique
Strawberry and raspberry resistance
Further studies

Further reading

Jones, R, Goddard, M.R, Eady, P.E, Hall, D.R, Bray, D.P, Farman, D.I. & Fountain, M.T. (2025). Differential attraction of summer and winter morphs of spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, to yeasts. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 51(1), pp.1-13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388709045_Differential_Attraction_of_Summer_and_Winter_Morphs_of_Spotted_Wing_Drosophila_Drosophila_suzukii_to_Yeasts

Conroy, C, Fountain, M.T, Whitfield, E.C, Hall, D.R, Farman, D. & Bray, D.P. (2024). Methyl N,N-dimethylanthranilate and ethyl propionate: repellents effective against spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. Pest Management Science. https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.8020

Jones, R, Eady, P.E, Goddard, M.R, Fountain, M.T. (2022). The Efficacy of Yeast Phagostimulant Baits in Attract-and-Kill Strategies Varies between Summer- and Winter-Morphs of Drosophila suzukii. Insects, 13, 995. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/11/995

Jones, R, Fountain, M.T, Andreani, N.A, Günther, C.S. & Goddard, M.R. (2022). The relative abundances of yeasts attractive to Drosophila suzukii differ between fruit types and are greatest on raspberries. Scientific Reports 12, 10382. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-14275-x

Jones, R, Fountain, M.T, Günther, C, Eady, P. & Goddard, M. (2021). Separate and combined volatile profiles produced by Hanseniaspora uvarum and Metschnikowia pulcherrima yeasts are attractive to Drosophila suzukii in the laboratory and field. Scientific Reports 11, 1201. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79691-3

Noble, R, Dobrovin-Pennington, A, Phillips, A, Cannon, M.F.L, Shaw, B. & Fountain, M.T. (2019). Improved insecticidal control of spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) using yeast and fermented strawberry juice baits. Crop Protection, 125. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261219419302480?via%3Dihub