Diel periodicity of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) under field conditions

Abstract

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), an economically important pest of blueberry and other thin-skinned fruits, persists and prolifically reproduces under seemingly lethal climatic conditions in the field. However, behavioral and physiological mechanisms employed by D. suzukii to tolerate such extreme climatic conditions in the field are unknown. The primary objective of this project was to investigate diel periodicity of D. suzukii and their reproductive success under field conditions as related by climatic factors such as temperature and relative humidity. Results show that D. suzukii reproductive success was significantly higher during the night (including dawn and dusk periods) than the day in terms of oviposition, pupation, adult eclosion, and the number of progeny per female. Female D. suzukii reproductive success was not significantly different between specific regions of a blueberry bush in relation to the amount of shade provided by the canopy. Our studies indicate that D. suzukii flight activity is crepuscular and is sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. Results also suggest that the majority of fly activity during peak hours is concentrated in areas around the border and within the center of blueberry orchards with little activity in the surrounding wooded areas. These findings suggest that D. suzukii prefers microclimate with mild temperatures and high humidity, and does not function well when exposed to direct sunlight with extreme heat. The authors propose that D. suzukii management strategies should be implemented during the early morning and immediately before darkness to maximize efficacy.

Evaluating a push–pull strategy for management of Drosophila suzukii Matsumura in red raspberry

“…Cohorts of 30 flies (50: 50 male: female) were starved with water for 4 h prior to assay after which they were released into sleeve cages (47.5 × 47.5 × 93 cm; BugDorm) for 2 h prior to the end of their photoperiod (19:00-21:00) under full light and optimal conditions (22 ± 2 ∘ C, > 50% RH). Drosophila suzukii prefers to lay eggs during crepuscular hours, 33 and we find that oviposition is more consistently observed during these times, even in colony flies (AKW, personal observation). Each cage held four store-bought red raspberries (4.4 ± 0.4 g) sitting on an open polystyrene Petri dish (90 mm diameter).…”

Trapping system comparisons for and factors affecting populations of Drosophila suzukii and Zaprionus indianus in winter‐grown strawberry

“…30 Wooded perimeters may serve as a refuge for flies during the overwintering period in temperate regions but also daily for flies seeking cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity. 55,56 Just over a quarter of the Florida strawberry field perimeter was woodland or partial-woodland, and we recommend focusing trap placement in these areas.…”

Single and combined effects of Drosophila suzukii and Drosophila melanogaster on sour rot development in viticulture

“…Presence of flies and grape weight increased volatile acidity in both subsequent repetitions (a) set up 30.8.2017, ANOVA: n = 40; treatment: F = 5.02, p = .005; grape weight: F = 4.60, p = .039 and (b) set up 6.9.2017, ANOVA: n = 40; treatment: F = 7.44, p = .0006; grape weight: F = 25.79, p < .0001). Different letters indicate significant differences (p < .05) in volatile acidity between the treatments at the 5% level following the Tukey post hoc test at daytime and becomes active during dusk/dawn avoiding unfavourable, potentially lethal conditions (Evans, Toews, & Sial, 2017;Jaffe & Guédot, 2019;. However, as the flies in our experiments were caged in the experimental bags, they were not able to escape and as a result presumably not able to oviposit at all.…”