Friendly reminder for growers to fill out the spotted wing Drosophila survey

Nikki Rothwell<rothwel3@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

To determine the effectiveness of our statewide spotted wing Drosophila monitoring program, we are asking growers to take a quick survey.

In late October 2014, during a busy apple season, we asked growers to fill out spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) survey to help determine the effectiveness of our weekly Michigan State University Extension monitoring program. With apple season behind us, I am hoping most growers are winding down and will be able to find a few minutes to complete this important survey.

This is the second season for our monitoring program, and based on input from growers last season, this weekly information is vital to help growers manage spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) on a regular basis. Survey results from 2013 suggested that the first catch in an area or region is the most important information as it alerts growers if and when they should employ control tactics. As a result, the MSU Extension field team conducted weekly scouting for SWD and brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) in five regions of Michigan: southwest, southeast, the Ridge, west central and northwest. Traps were deployed May through August, with some trapping continuing well into the fall. The weekly data were collected and disseminated in a weekly report on MSU Extension Fruit & Nuts News and through local sources.

Again, to be able to measure how effective these efforts were in 2014, we are asking Michigan fruit growers to take some time to fill out a brief evaluation of the SWD statewide effort. We value your feedback and want to ensure that MSU is doing all that it can to help producers better manage this invasive pest in all Michigan fruit crops. Your input will help us prepare for a plan for SWD control in 2015 and to obtain further grant funds for researching this invasive pest. Please take a moment to fill out this survey.

Dr. Rothwell’s work is funded in part by MSU’s AgBioResearch.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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  • natural resources,
  • peaches,
  • pest management
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