It’s that time of the year again when berry, grape, and peach growers throughout Ohio have to start thinking about Spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) on their farm.  Getting growers and Extension educators familiar with this pest, how to monitor, identify, manage, etc., has been a significant focus of faculty in the Dept. of Entomology and the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program.  So, in addition to hanging baited traps in your fields, take a few minutes to increase your SWD IQ by perusing the information and videos below.

To date, there have been six hands-on workshops held around the state over the past six years, two webinars and dozens of meetings where updates on current research have been given for the benefit of both growers and Extension educators.

In an effort to establish a greater online presence about various aspects of SWD management, a series of videos have been created and placed on the OSU IPM YouTube channel (https://go.osu.edu/osuipm) which can be accessed at anytime. The focus of each of these videos is briefly described below, and placed in order from deploying the trap in the field (first step) to conducting a salt water test (last step).

1. Complete SWD orientation webinar – In this video, all aspects of SWD are introduced including biology, damage, distribution, how to deploy and service traps, how to move trap contents (insects) to vials, how to sort through vial contents to identify male and female SWD, how to perform salt water tests, and finally an overview of chemical and non-chemical management strategies. This webinar contains three of the videos mentioned below; 1. How to transfer trap contents to a vial, 2. How to identify male and female SWD adults, and 3. How to conduct a salt water test on fruit. 82 minutes long; https://youtu.be/i8PlAoE1ob8

2. Setting up a spotted wing Drosophila Scentry trap including lure and drowning solution – In this video, you will be shown how to assemble a Scentry trap by adding a commercial lure and drowning solution. Considerations such as where to place in your field are discussed (edge vs. interior) and where in the crop canopy to place the trap to achieve optimal SWD catch conditions. 3 minutes; https://youtu.be/z9IeuYECnJk

3. How to rejuvenate an old SWD Scentry trap – In this video, you will be shown how to take an old faded Scentry SWD trap that has been used for several seasons and restore it to full functionality with some basic tools and a few common items, such as red duct tape, binder clips, pliers, and 14 gauge galvanized wire. 5 minutes; https://youtu.be/_DpL3H5v2ag

4. How to transfer SWD trap catch to a vial in the field – In this video, you will be shown how to transfer the contents of a SWD trap over to a vial for proper storage and later identification. Once the trap catch has been successfully moved to a vial, it can be securely transported to where the stereoscope or other high powered magnifier resides. The vial contents can then be emptied into a small dish for use under a microscope or other magnifier, where SWD adults and non-target insects can be sorted and identified. 5 minutes; https://youtu.be/emDu_FF1dB0

5. How to sort and identify Spotted Wing Drosophila adults using a stereoscope – In this video, you will be shown what tools and supplies are needed to transfer insect samples from a SWD trap or vial to a petri dish to begin the sorting and identification process. Both male and female SWD flies are sorted and identified in this video, which incorporates a live demonstration of the sorting process through the lens of a stereoscope. This is a very unique perspective and should give a very close “real world” experience of how to manage and sort samples. 6 minutes long; https://youtu.be/QDqvuIjLfu4

6. How to conduct a salt water test (Updated) – In this updated video, some recent tips were added to the overview of how to conduct a salt water test. This demonstration shows producer’s how to determine if fruit has been infested with SWD larvae, which is a reflection of their spray program efficacy. All the supplies needed plus images of the larvae (maggots) floating in the salt solution are shown. 6 minutes long; https://youtu.be/MtMXHxqcSVs

The SWD workshops, webinars, and video series have mainly been supported by USDA NIFA grants 20147000622507 and 20177000627174, while OSU’s overall SWD program have been funded by several sources including USDA NIFA and the Ohio Vegetable and Small Fruit Research and Development Program.