Spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD) is one of the major pests of cane berries, blueberries, black berries, strawberries and peaches. Last week it was detected in Greene, Monroe, Geauga and Wayne counties but likely is present and active in most Ohio counties at this point in the season (https://u.osu.edu/jasinski.4/pestvisualization/#linki).
Spotted wing Drosophila male (L) and female (R).
Recall that this pest is relatively new to Ohio, first discovered in 2011, and has the distinction from other drosophila flies of being able to attack whole, healthy fruit as they begin to blush and ripen.
The best way to monitor for this pest on your farm is to use a trap with either a commercial lure or apple cider vinegar as a bait.
Spotted wing drosophila baited Scentry trap.
If you do this, it will be necessary to empty the trap weekly and look through the catch to identify the male (with the spot on its wing) or female (which has an enlarged serrated ovipositor) using a stereoscope. Remember that the threshold for this pest is 1 SWD fly, male or female. Once the threshold is exceeded, trapping can be halted. This can be a fairly intensive endeavor but has been described in detail in various videos posted to the OSU IPM YouTube channel (setting up trap, identification, salt water tests, etc.). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0HRPaZDLHyFqKGmNic832l0SWqMO8IQ4
If you choose not to monitor for this pest and have had SWD on your farm before, it is nearly 100% certain they will return once fruit is in the blush or ripe stage, so you should prepare to manage based on their assumed presence. A fact sheet on SWD giving more detail on management and biology with an up to date list of insecticides can be found here: https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/1/8311/files/2020/11/SWD_Ohio_handout_V20.pdf
Once you decide to stop harvesting in a certain block, insecticide treatment for SWD can be halted. For smaller or organic growers, some cultural methods including use of black mulch, pruning and netting have been shown to reduce and delay infestation.
Medina County grower talking about his exclusion netting project to manage SWD.