The first spotted wing Drosophila fly was found this past week in Kings County by Erika Bent (APM Agricultural Pest Monitoring Cons. Ltd.). The female was found in a trap located in a hedgerow next to a commercial berry field. This is a very early capture date and if you are planning on trapping for SWD on your farm traps should go out this week.
Flies damage fruit by laying eggs in ripening fruit. The larvae quickly develop and feed on the inside of the fruit. Once this happens, it decreases harvestable yield and destroys the marketability of the fruit. It can cause significant damage on a wide range of soft fruit, including: wild blueberry, highbush blueberry, strawberry (Day neutral and June bearing), raspberry, blackberry, cherries, peaches, plums, gooseberries, currants, grapes and a wide variety of wild and native fruits.
For information on trapping and control, check out Perennia's factsheet on Monitoring for Spotted Wing Drosophila and Raspberry Management Schedule.