Composting susceptible fruit wastes reduces Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) reproductive habitat.

BACKGROUND

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive, polyphagous vinegar fly pest that is primarily controlled by calendar-based broad-spectrum insecticide programs. Nonchemical management tactics are urgently needed to reestablish IPM within affected berry and cherry cropping systems. Composting is a post-harvest crop sanitation strategy that could potentially be used to manage D. suzukii infestation of fruit wastes.

RESULTS

This study found that D. suzukii emergence decreased exponentially with an increasing proportion of chicken manure, with emergence reduced by 95% in compost treatments containing 25% chicken manure. Furthermore, Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) demonstrated a response similar to D. suzukii in the field.

CONCLUSION

Integrating this control tactic into existing D. suzukii management programs may help to reduce the need for insecticide applications for D. suzukii as well as provide improved management of other Drosophila spp. in post-harvest systems.