Spotted wing drosophila in the city

Spotted wing drosophila mating pair outside a Wake County, NC home.  Photo: Matt Bertone.

Entomologists at the North Carolina Nature Research Center and NC State University are partnering to count the creepy crawlers and unseen critters that live inside our houses, and have found spotted wing drosophila (SWD) during their search.

Led by Michelle Trautwein, Assistant Director of the Biodiversity Laboratory at the Nature Research Center, Arthopods of Our Homes seeks to understand the diversity of insects and other arthropods in homes and how human residents influence their populations.  In the handful of houses the team has sampled so far, they have found over 100 species.  Not necessarily a surprise to us entomologists, who know insects are all around us, but it is exciting to demonstrate such diversity so close to home!

Eagle eyed dipterist Matt Bertone, part of the Arthropods of Your Home team, spotted two mating SWD in the yard of a recently sampled home and collected a few others inside.  The flies inside are particularly interesting, as we suspect that man made structures may help adult flies overwinter because they don't diapause, or hibernate, like many other insects.  Understanding how common SWD is in non agricultural habitats and during what times of year we can find them will help us develop whole-system management tools, not to mention help us understand how significant a concern they may before your backyard garden.

Matt will be record SWD finds as part of the SWD*VMN (Spotted Wing Drosophila Volunteer Monitoring Network).  You can find the record for the first one here.

More information

On location with the Arthropods of Our Homes team - Your Wild Life Blog 

Sign up for Arthropods of Our Homes - Your Wild Life

sciseekclaimtoken-4ff32a5c75d28

Spotted wing drosophila captures have begun

The spotted wing drosophila volunteer monitoring network (SWD*VMN) began our 2012 trapping season two weeks ago, and this week brought reports of our first SWD captures in Surry and Randolph Counties.  You can see all of our trapping data, from the beginning of the SWD*VMN in 2010 through present, here.  The 2012 map is below. Click on a county to view data for all the sites in that county.  For counties with multiple sites, you can click on each site's name to data just for that location.  Trapping data are listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first). 

Spotted wing drosophila captures by month, 2012

Alternative content

Legend

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Not Found

Because trapping recently began, a number of sites have yet to report their trap captures.  Many locations will be added in the next few days.  If you are interested in participating the SWD*VMN, please contact Hannah Burrack.  Sites are only identified to the county level to protect participant privacy.

The SWD*VMN is supported by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and the North Carolina Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

SWD on SFNToday

Check out the Southern Farm Network for the first of two stories on spotted wing drosophila (SWD).  Today's story focused on SWD's damage potential and management tools while tomorrow will highlight the SWD*VMN.

Update
The second SWD story, highlighting the SWD*VMN has been posted at Southern Farm Network.  Listen to it here.

More information
Spotted wing drosphila present in the Carolinas - Southern Farm Network
Spotted Wing Drosophila First Responder Network Widening in Mid-Atlantic States - Southern Farm Network

Grape Root Borer*Volunteer Monitoring Network trapping data now available

The Grape Root Borer*Volunteer Monitoring Network (GRB*VMN) has been up and running for a month, but the first, substantial trap captures occurred last week. The network consists of 10 locations in 7 North Carolina counties. Trap captures from these sites will be available here through the end of October, when the grape root borer flight is expected to end.

2011 GRB*VMN sites. Sites are only identified to the county level and assigned a number for record keeping purposes when there are multiple sites per county.

Monitoring locations and trapping data are listed below, from east to west:

Jones County 1

Rowan County 1

Rowan County 2

Davie County 1

Yadkin County 1

Surry County 1

Surry County 2

Surry County 3

Wilkes County 1

Haywood County 1

The highest number of trap captures is currently in Davie County with a few other locations catching a few moths. It is interesting that our flight appears to be occurring so late in the year, since reports of moth captures begin in July last year. We are monitoring the grape root borer flight in North Carolina to better understand when and where our highest populations occur. This information is important when making grape root borer management decisions, in particular whether or not to use currently labeled pesticides, which must be used either 30 days before harvest or after harvest. If you are interested in monitoring grape root borer yourself, see here for more information.

More information Do it yourself - Grape root borer monitoring

Do it yourself - Grape root borer monitoring

Tomorrow, June 26, I will be kicking off the 2011 Grape Root Borer Volunteer Monitoring Network (GRB*VMN) at the NC Winegrowers Association summer picnic. I will be distributing trapping kits to volunteer growers and demonstrating trapping methods. For grape growers interested in monitoring for grape root borer who cannot attend the meeting, this post details how to monitor on your own. If you are interested in participating in the GRP*VMN, please contact me for more information.

The traps I use are available from Great Lakes IPM* and pheromone lures can be purchased from Arbico-Organics*.


Grape root borer (Vitacea polistiformis (Harris)) is potentially the most significant pest of grapes (both muscadine and Vinfera) in the southeast.  Larvae have a 1 to 2 year life cycle, which means that injury, in the form of weakened and dying vines, often does not present for several years.  Many of the Vinfera vineyards in the Carolinas and Georgia are reaching the 8 to 10 year mark, the time at which I anticipate grape root borer injury to become more apparent.


The GRB*VMN has two purposes:
1. To determine the density, range, and seasonal biology of grape root borer in North Carolina.  In other words, to find out how many moths we have in our vineyards, which vineyards they are present in, and at what time of year they are active.
2. To give NC grape growers the skills to monitor for grape root borer and make management decisions based on monitoring information.


To accomplish these goals, we will train grape growers throughout the state to monitor for grape root borer adults on their farms and share their data through this blog.


Monitoring methods
We will place 4 universal moth traps per vineyard.  Ideally, we will place these traps each in a different variety (if present).  Within variety blocks, traps should be placed in low lying, wet areas, since these are at the highest risk of grape root borer infestation.

Grape root borer trap components. From left to right: hanger, trap top, trap lid, pheromone container (front), pheromone impregnated septa (packet, front), pesticide kill strip (red, front), and trap bottom (back).

Traps should be assembled as follows:

Pesticide strips placed in trap bottom.

Pesticide strips are used to kill moths once they enter traps. No pesticide is present outside the traps, and therefore, these traps can be used in organic systems.  Pesticide strips should only be handled with nitrile gloves.

Trap top attached to bottom.

Trap tops snap onto to trap bottoms.

Trap lid added to trap top.

Trap lids keep rain and other debris out of the bottoms.

Grape root borer pheromone impregnated septa.

Grape root borer pheromones are impregnated onto rubber septa and remain attractive for an entire field season.

Pheromone lure placed in pheromone container.

Pheromone lures are placed into lidded containers.

Assembled trap.

The pheromone container is inserted in the trap lid and hangs into the trap opening.  Moths are attracted to pheromone lures and fall into the trap bottom where they are killed by the pesticide strip.  Hangers are attached to trap lids, and traps are hung from canes or trellis wires.

Assembled grape root borer trap

Traps are checked weekly  and moths are counted.  Pheromone lures are attractive at a long distance to male moths, and attractive at a short distance to females, so both sexes may be present in traps.  Grape root borer moths resemble wasps but differ in that their wings are black and they lack the thin "waist" of wasps.  After a few days in the traps, moths may appear darker brown (see below).

Mating male (left) and female (right) grape root borer moths. Photo: University of Kentucky.

Female grape root borer moth one week after collection.

While the grape root borer pheromone is relatively specific, it will attract one related species, the squash vine borer.  However, these moths are bright orange and black and easily distinguished from grape root borer.  Other insects found in traps may include beetles and small brown moths, but these should also be readily distinguishable from grape root borer moths.

Mating male (left) and female (right) squash vine borer moths. Photo: University of Minnesota

Data collected by the GRB*VMN will be entered online weekly and will be shared here, beginning the first week of July.

*Does not imply endorsement of named vendors over other options.

More information
NC Winegrowers Association - Summer Picnic

SWD Monitoring Network Featured in the SRIPM Newsletter

The spotted wing drosophila (SWD) volunteer monitoring network is featured in the spring 2011 edition of Southern Exposure, the newsletter of the Southern Region IPM Center. SWD captures continue--today we confirmed flies from Person County, NC and yesterday, we found flies from a site in Onslow County, NC, confirmed a positive trap capture from Anson County, NC, and confirmed the first fly in 2011 from Wayne County, NC. This brings our total of counties where SWD has been identified in North Carolina to 12.

More information
Southern Exposure, Spring 2011

Spotted Wing Drosophila Monitoring 2011 - Seeking Volunteers

We will be beginning spotted wing drosophila (SWD) monitoring this month! As some of you are aware, last year we conducted SWD monitoring with the help of volunteer trappers. This project was very successful and was responsible for the detection of SWD in NC and central SC. Without this monitoring network, we would not have had the valuable early warning which allowed us to train growers in identification and monitoring tools this winter.

I would like to build on the success of this project in 2011. We again have funds from the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium to purchase supplies for the volunteer monitoring network. New for 2011, we also have funds to support extension agent travel to 3 hands on training sessions. The first training session is scheduled for March 24th at the Piedmont Research Station near Salisbury, NC. More information on this training session will be posted this week.

You may be thinking, "Why do we need to trap for SWD? Don't we already know we have it?" In 2010, we monitored 24 locations, but found flies or larvae at just 14 of those. We also found flies at locations where we weren't monitoring! We do not yet understand the range of SWD in the southeast or when the populations are the highest. This is what we will focus on in 2011. Our goal is to delimit the spread of SWD in NC, SC, and VA and determine when populations are likely to cause the most damage. This will help us recommend management strategies to growers and homeowners alike.

Because determining range is a key goal, we need as many locations as possible. I am expanding my call for volunteers to include research station personnel, master gardeners, growers, and the public (that's you). Volunteers will receive all monitoring supplies, SWD identification training (either in person at one of the workshops or via webinar), and monitoring support throughout the growing season. To maintain 1 site should take 1-2 hours per week, not including travel time to the site (we are putting out fewer traps per site than last year).

If you are interested in participating in the SWD Volunteer Monitoring Network, please fill out the form at this link.

Please complete this form by Tuesday, March 15th. If you have questions about the monitoring network, please email me.

Grape Root Borer Volunteer Monitoring Network (GRB*VMN) Seeking Participants

Grape root borer (Vitacea polistiformis) adults. Photo: University of Florida

I was extremely pleased with the success of the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) volunteer monitoring network in 2010. While fielding lots of questions about grape root borer last summer, I realized that this insect would be a great fit for a volunteer monitoring program. In many ways, grape root borer is an even better candidate for a volunteer monitoring program than SWD. The adults are easy to identify, pheromone lures are reasonably specific, and there is only 1 possible generation in North Carolina.

Why do we need a monitoring network for grape root borer?

We have huge gaps in our knowledge of this pest in North Carolina. Many of these gaps stem from the fact that grape root borer has a 1-2 year life cycle (depending on temperature and location in the state), making it hard to do research on. We need to understand the extent and size of our grape root borer populations relative to our vineyards, and we need to understand the seasonal biology of grape root borer (when they begin emerge as adults and for how long this emergence lasts). Both of these needs require a large scale monitoring effort over a wide area. I cannot do this type of research by myself, but I can train interested grower and non grower volunteers to monitor a few locations in their vineyards. If we attract enough volunteers, we can build a powerful data set in 2 years that will allow us to maximize future research efforts.

If this sounds interesting, see below about how to get involved!

What is the Grape Root Borer Volunteer Monitoring Network (GRB*VMN)?

GRB*VMN is a group of North Carolina grape (muscadine and bunch grape) growers and others who are interested in increasing our understanding of grape root borer, an important insect pest of grape vines. We are recruiting volunteers from throughout the state who currently grow grapes.

Why should I join the GRB*VMN?

We will determine the presence and emergence timing of grape root borer in North Carolina grapes. This information is important for developing management programs for grape root borer. We currently only have 1 tool (a pesticide) available, and its use restrictions limit its effectiveness. We need more information about grape root borer biology to support the development and registration of more tools, including non-chemical options.

What will I get from the GRB*VMN?

You will receive:

4 GRB traps & pheromone, Training on trapping and GRB identification, Access to data from your farm and all participating farms (through this blog and regular email alerts).

What do I need to do to participate in the GRB*VMN?

You must agree to check traps weekly from May through October & enter data online. Checking traps should take no more than 1 hour per week.

More informationContact Hannah Burrack for more information on the GRB*VMN and how to get involved!

I will be at a grape field day in Surry County tomorrow (February 18th) to discuss GRB monitoring and recruiting volunteers for the GRB*VMN. See here for details and location.

SWD Monitoring Network Seeking Volunteers

As I posted at the beginning of the month, our SWD monitoring network, to be targeting initially in NC, SC, and VA, has been funded. We are now seeking volunteers interested in joining this network. The ideal volunteer is a county extension agent, master gardner, regional agronomist, or agricultural consultant, but any interested party is encouraged to participate.

We will provide training (via webinars) on SWD ID & trapping methods and regular updates on trap captures. All trapping materials and supplies will also be provided. Trap maintenance should take no more than 1-2 hours per week.

If this sounds like a project you would be interested in, please fill out the survey at this link. Training will begin mid March, and trapping will begin mid April. If you have questions, contact Hannah.

Spotted Wing Drosophila monitoring to begin in April!

Female SWD. Image via www.ipm.ucdavis.edu.

The Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium has recently funded monitoring efforts for the spotted wing drosophila (D. suzukii) in the southeast. Our work will rely upon a volunteer network of agricultural professionals, including county cooperative extension agents, master gardeners, and certified crop consultants. Monitoring efforts will be on a volunteer basis, but training, support, and materials will be provided. Training sessions will begin in March 2010, and monitoring efforts are targeted to begin in April. Monitoring locations will include backyard gardens and non commerical plantings of potential host plants (ie. peaches, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and caneberries). We will avoid be monitoring commercial small fruit farms in the first stage of this project, because of potential regulatory implications. If and when SWD are detected and confirmed in a region, we may include commerical grower sites if there is sufficient interest.

This project will initially focus on North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, but training and methods will be available to interested parties from other states upon request. If you are interested in participating in monitoring efforts, contact Hannah Burrack.

Monitoring information will be collected via Google Documents and shared via this website and others.

UPDATE: We will now include commercial farms as possible monitoring sites.