Since Don Ricks posted about one pest, apple maggot, I thought I'd post my experience this year with Spotted-winged Drosophila (SWD). I have encountered this pest again in my raspberry patch again this year. The past couple of years, I have used homemade drawstring bags made of either noseeum netting or Agribon material to cover berries as they ripen. Originally, I had planned to thin out my raspberry patch somewhat and neaten things up but somehow that never happened so I have more berries than I can cover. I am definitely getting damaged berries and I almost got a picture of a fly on a berry. There are not a lot of flies that I can see but they are obviously around. I have included a photo of a damaged berry and there is a larvae/maggot (a whitish blob) evident on the left side but it is hard to see. As I have in previous years, I am freezing any bad berries before disposing of them.
was at a friend's place yesterday and his red raspberries are being devastated by what I assume to be the SWD.....they really love the red raspberries.
I have some GF 120 NF fruit fly bait......if any of you live in the Seattle area or within 30 miles north and want to try some, email me donricks@hotmail.com and I can probably accomodate....
Is it 100% effective on the raspberries? No. For complete protection for a backyard, think about netting. Traps are somewhat effective. Spinosad and GF 120 are somewhat effective, though, for a good percentage control for the backyard grower. (Only use in evening after bees inactive).
But commercial berry growers are basically consigned to using synthetic pesticides at the present time.....the commercial guys have to have 100% protection against this pest and the SWD seems to be out in numbers again this year.
Backyard blueberry growers need to be prepared, imo, for what lies ahead.
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