The Okanagan Kootenay Fruit Growers Association and the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative organized a series of meetings last week to provide education and instructions to growers on how to handle the Spotted Wing Drosophila.
Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD ) is a new pest of soft fruit, berries and grapes in the Okanagan-Similkameen, and Creston valleys. The pest caused significant negative economic impact in 2010. Because authorities expect the pest to be even more prevalent in 2011, the meetings were put together to give growers the information needed to control the insect.
At least 50 growers were on hand for one of the meetings, which was held at Cawston Hall on Tuesday, March 15.
The agenda included a number of guest speakers, touching on such topics as:
- Identification and life cycle of the SWD
- Oregon experience and strategies for 2011
- Coastal experience and strategies for 2011
- Okanagan experience and trapping information from 2010
- New potential parasite and native hosts
- Inspection protocol for 2011
- Control strategies for 2011
Dr. Peter Shearer of Oregon State University spoke to the group about that state’s experience with SWD. He told the gathering that monitoring traps only gleaned small numbers through the growing season, only to find larger numbers at the end of the season. The growers were dismayed to find SWD in traps even in the middle of winter. Shearer told the growers that their research indicated that the insect could withstand cold temperatures from -15 to -25C.
“How do they overwinter? We have no clue,” he told the group. “We are also conducting further research to try and find out just how effective our traps are.”
Shearer noted that there were still a number of important questions that needed to be answered before the SWD could be dealt with in the most effective manner, and that research into the fly would be continued in 2011.
“We need to find out what is more important to population growth - temperature, lack of sprays, alternative host plants - and we need more information as to the effectiveness of our traps,” he pointed out.
Other meetings for the Spotted Wing Drosophila took place in Oliver, Kelowna, Summerland, and Creston.