Washington State University
Vinegar Fly hard at work, destroying fruit crops
The Spotted Wing Drosophila doesn't just feed on fruit; the female also lays eggs in the fruit itself. Then the eggs hatch into larvae, the fruit softens and can no longer be sold as fresh fruit.
The huge growth in berry crop losses from Spotted Wing Drosophila has led Japan to allow use of the Delegate WG insecticide.
As reported this month in Orchard & Vine, BC faced its worst year ever for losses from the Spotted Wing Drosophila, or ‘vinegar fly’.
But many growers were limited in what they could do, because some export markets won’t allow the use of certain pesticides.
The vinegar fly lays its eggs in soft berry fruits like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. BC crops took a major hit in 2013 due to the mild winter and spring.
Now, that restriction has been lifted to a certain extent.
Blueberry and cherry producers who export their products to Japan can now apply Delegate™ WG Insecticide for control of several foliage feeding pests. For blueberry and other soft fruit growers, Delegate received an emergency use permit earlier this year to protect against the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), a relatively new and highly damaging pest. Delegate is used for SWD and leafroller control in cherries.
“Export markets are particularly important for blueberry and cherry growers,” says Jerry Olechowski, marketing manager with Dow AgroSciences. “Both crops are exported overseas so establishing foreign residue tolerances for these two key crops is critical to growers in Canada.”
Delegate WG is a fruit and vegetable insecticide from the spinosyn chemistry class that provides long-lasting control of a broad spectrum of insect pests. Insects are controlled two ways – by contact and ingestion – for quick knockdown and residual activity. Delegate also possesses increased resistance to washoff by rain, and will even kill pests that feed from the underside of the leaf.