SWD Update August 3, 2018

This post contains a summary of trap counts for the week of August 3. Please refer to previous blog posts for counts from earlier in the growing season. The regional monitoring program is being conducted in berry and stone fruit crops and grapes in Essex, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Norfolk, Niagara, Wellington, Durham, Ottawa/Carleton, Stormont/Glengarry/Dundas and Northumberland counties.

The monitoring project is a collaboration among the Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers, Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, the Eastern Ontario Berry Growers, OMAFRA staff and private consultants.

Traps are being moved from harvested crops into day neutral strawberry, raspberry and blueberry and stone fruit (yellow plum, apricot, peach, nectarine, blue plum).  We have placed 3-4 traps with commercial SWD lures at each site.  Use these results in addition to your own monitoring program to determine when SWD is present on your farm. Conduct a salt water test or a plastic baggie test to confirm presence of larvae in fruit.

SWD has been identified in traps in all monitored counties as of August 3.  This means that growers with ripening crops susceptible to SWD should consider using a product with activity against swd in preharvest sprays.  Check the SWD product registrations on our website. Mako and Malathion have received emergency use registration for this year again and previous blog posts for information on products for managing pre-harvest insects including swd on stone fruit.

F = female; M = male; PH = post harvest