How to translate text using browser tools
24 October 2024 Assessing native parasitoids of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in the Southeastern USA
Subin B. Neupane, Jason M. Schmidt, William E. Snyder, William G. Hudson, Xingeng Wang, Matthew Buffington, Kent M. Daane, Ashfaq A. Sial
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), commonly known as spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD), is an invasive insect pest threatening the economy of many small fruit farms in the Americas and Europe. Biological control using parasitoids is a promising strategy for improving the sustainable management of SWD. To use the parasitoids as biocontrol agents, recognizing and understanding the presence and preference of North American native parasitoids and their local adaptation is necessary. We conducted 2 season-long field explorations of North American native parasitoids of SWD during 2021 and 2022 at major blueberry-producing locations in southeast GA, USA. A total of 371 parasitoids of Drosophila were collected using fruit-baited sentinel traps and classified into 3 families: Figitidae, Pteromalidae, and Diapriidae. Leptopilina boulardi (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) and Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) were the most abundant species. The abundance of parasitoids was higher during the peak blueberry ripening period through the end of the harvest season compared to all other phenological stages. Out of the North American native parasitoids of SWD that we collected, Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae successfully parasitized SWD in its natural habitat, and L. boulardi only parasitized SWD larvae at a low rate of 7% in the laboratory, but it failed to emerge from all the parasitized SWD. Ultimately, we found that the existing North American native parasitoids were inadequate to suppress the SWD in these locations. Planned intervention with the classical release of Asian native specialist parasitoids in addition to the existing SWD management approaches was deemed necessary in these areas.

Subin B. Neupane, Jason M. Schmidt, William E. Snyder, William G. Hudson, Xingeng Wang, Matthew Buffington, Kent M. Daane, and Ashfaq A. Sial "Assessing native parasitoids of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in the Southeastern USA," Environmental Entomology 53(6), 966-972, (24 October 2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae086
Received: 24 April 2024; Accepted: 9 September 2024; Published: 24 October 2024
JOURNAL ARTICLE
7 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
biological control
Ganaspis kimorum
resident parasitoid
Spotted-wing Drosophila
survey
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top