A regional monitoring program for Spotted Wing Drosophila is being coordinated by Erin Hanna, OBGA, and OMAFRA. SWD traps for adult flies will be set up at 30 sites across Ontario, starting in early June.
For the week of June 1-5, samples were collected from 51 traps at 15 locations across Ontario. To our surprise, SWD was collected from one site in Norfolk County. Next week’s counts will tell us if SWD is unusually active or if this early capture is just random. Usually we see the first SWD in late June and early July. However, the degree-day model suggests that the first overwintering SWD will be laying eggs now.
If we continue to catch SWD in our traps next week, we will recommend that growers consider protecting susceptible crops such as Haskaps and day-neutral strawberries.
Information on SWD activity in Ontario will be updated weekly in the Berry Bulletin, Hort Matters newsletter, ONFruit blog, and on our website.
Jim Chaput and the minor use coordinators have secured emergency use registrations for SWD in 2015. These include:
- “MAKO”, formerly known as Ripcord. Registered for 1 application on strawberries, raspberries, but not blueberries, also stone fruit and grapes.
- Delegate on all berry crops, stone fruit and grapes
- Malathion 85 E on all berry crops, stone fruit and grapes.
Two products are also fully registered for SWD:
- Exirel for blueberries
- Imidan, on blueberries (but it has a 14 days to harvest interval (PHI) .)
- Delegate on berry crops
Details will be posted soon.
