Crop-Destroying Pest Detected In Livingston CountyCrop-Destroying Pest Detected In Livingston County

8/6/13 - An invasive pest that destroys fruit crops is on the rise in Michigan, and was detected in Livingston County last week. Spotted wing drosophila is a species of fruit fly native to Southeast Asia, but which spread to the continental United States in 2008. It made its way west from California and was first detected in Michigan in 2011. The fly lays its eggs in soft summer fruits like plums, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, ruining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth or crops every year. Michigan State University uses a system of traps to measure the fly’s population around the state, and in the last week of July it reported capture rates that were, on average, five times higher than the previous week. This included captures within Livingston County, which had not been mentioned in any of the university’s weekly reports this year. Michigan State recommends that farmers learn how to trap and identify the flies themselves, and if they are detected farmers should make sure to remove over-ripe fruit, eliminate native host plants like wild blackberry or raspberry bushes, and harvest crops in a timely fashion. For information on the pest and how to control it, follow the link below. (TD)