Evaluating techniques to interrupt the developmental cycle of spotted wing drosphila overwintering in Québec

Description

Since 2012 the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), an invasive exotic insect, has been present in Québec berry crops. This pest causes significant damage to berries (raspberries, strawberries, highbush blueberries) harvested in August and September, when its population surges (Lacroix, 2017). Until recently it was not known whether SWD overwintered in Québec. However, following the 2016–2017 winter, with its unusually mild temperatures and significant snow cover, the insect appeared 2 to 3 weeks earlier in berry fields (Lacroix et al., 2017), despite a cold spring. Mass trapping is a pest control technique currently employed in Europe to limit Drosophila populations. Between 2018 and 2020, we will evaluate whether this method can delay or decrease the migration of these populations into the cultivated plots of three producers on Ile d’Orléans.

Objective(s)

The project’s overall goal is to slow the arrival of Spotted Wing Drosophila in crop plots using mass trapping at overwintering sites.

• Determine whether SWD is overwintering in the woodlands near berry fields and, if so, at what intensity.
• Demonstrate the effectiveness of mass trapping in delaying and reducing SWD migration from overwintering sites into berry fields.