Michigan Radio features spotted wing Drosophila with advice from entomologist Isaacs
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EmailEntomologist Rufus Isaacs gave his expertise on spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) in a recent Michigan Radio article.
Entomologist Rufus Isaacs gave his expertise on spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) in a recent Michigan Radio article. Michigan State University participates in several grant-funded projects to control SWD for organic and conventional farmers, and several faculty and MSU Extension educators are on the forefront in educating the public about this invasive fruit fly.
SWD typically feed on soft-skinned fruit such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and peaches, and as Isaacs stated in the Michigan radio article, “The big difference between this new species that’s an invasive pest that came in from Asia, and all the species that we have that are here in Michigan already, is that this one has this egg-laying device that can cut into fruit while it’s starting to ripen.”
More information on SWD and MSU’s research on this pest can be found at the MSU Spotted Wing Drosophila website. To read the Michigan Radio article with an interview from Isaacs, see “Meet my new nemesis: the invasive fruit fly swarming Michigan berry crops.”
