The Invasive Spotted-Wing Fruit Fly Population Is Growing Rapidly
The Invasive Spotted-Wing Fruit Fly Population Is Growing Rapidly
Insects have been in the news a lot lately, and as usual with insects, the news is not good. The scientific community is concerned with the rapidly decreasing insect populations occurring all around the globe. Despite this recent and alarming trend, one species of insect seems to be more common than ever. Populations of spotted-wing drosophila fruit flies are increasing dramatically in the United States. These insects are invasive in the United States, as they destroy crops of berries and fruits in almost all regions. Recent studies have shown that these fruit flies and the harm that they cause could be controlled if growers removed all discarded fruit from their land. It turns out that spotted-wing fruit flies target discarded fruit that litters the countryside. Since these invasive fruit flies entered the mainland United States several years ago they have proliferated as a result of feeding on the vast amount of fruits that can be easily found in many regions.
The invasive spotted wing fruit fly technically invaded the US back in 1980 when they arrived in the Hawaiian islands from their native Asian regions. At the time of their arrival in Hawaii, agricultural experts were not threatened by their presence, and no eradication efforts were undertaken. However, this all changed in 2008 when these invasive flies managed to find their way to the coast of California near Santa Cruz. Today these invasive spotted-wing fruit flies exist in every US state. These fruit flies have even managed to invade colder regions of North America, such as all of the Canadian provinces. The invasive fruit flies cause as much as eighty percent yield losses in fruit and berry crops within the US.
Typically, insecticides would eradicate invasive spotted wing fruit flies from affected regions. But lately, the fruit fly populations have become so numerous that other beneficial insects could be destroyed if these fruit flies are targeted with insecticides. In response to this problem, researchers found that invasive fruit fly populations could be effectively reduced by simply disposing of all fruit wastes on cropland. Researchers are also investigating the use of different animal manures as fertilizer. The hope is to find an animal manure that repels fruit flies, instead of attracting them.
Have you ever found insects feeding on fruit that you were keeping in your home?