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Spotted Wing Drosophilia #874524

Asked June 24, 2024, 6:58 PM EDT

Hello, Over the past 5 years, our backyard fruiting plants in Apple Valley MN have become increasingly under attack by what I believe to be Spotted Wing Drosophilia. Our wild black raspberries, raspberries, and now this year sour cherry trees get tiny holes in them and the fruit begins to rot quickly, with tiny white/clear worms visible crawling around inside. We have been losing about 50-75% of our raspberry crop every year (despite keeping up with picking the fruit as soon as it can come off the plant, daily picking) and now this year 100% of our cherries. In past years we have sprayed our raspberry plants with neem oil pre-ripening with some success, but it is becoming so disheartening to try to manage these things. Our entire cherry crop is non-edible this year. We would really prefer to avoid too harsh of chemicals if at all possible in concern to eating it ourselves. It's also not really possible to bag or cover the fruit based on the size of the trees/plants. Do you have any recommendations? What we could treat with and how to do so? Thank you so much in advance for your help. :)

Dakota County Minnesota

Expert Response

Good Morning Megan, 

Thank you for contacting the U of M Extension Service. 

I agree that dealing with the Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is very difficult and frustrating. Here is a link from the U of M Extension Yard and Garden website with the latest information on dealing with them: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/spotted-wing-drosophila

Clearly you are already familiar with trying to deal with them. A few years ago, I quit growing raspberries because of the SWD. I did not want to eat the squishy fruit. 

The website discusses possible management options. 

Good Luck!

Maureen Graber Replied June 25, 2024, 8:15 AM EDT

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