Transcript
I'd like to introduce you to another
tool that could be used in the backyard
to avoid spotted winged drosophila from
laying eggs.
Currently these blueberries are in the
flowering stage and soon they will
become fruit very green fruit. At this
point in time we don't know exactly at
what stage of that fruit they're laying
eggs but most likely when it starts
turning that blue to purple color.
I think it's important if you have a
history or know that you have spotted
winged drosophila or want to guarantee
that you're not getting get spotted
winged drosophila and that is by the use
of netting. Now you got to remember those
spotted wings are very small so you need
a very fine but breathable material even
like a screw. This is very very fine and
you can actually sleeve,
whether it's fruit on a tree like
cherries a whole Branch or fruit on
something like this blueberry, now I
don't want a trap spotted wing
drosophila in within the net, you know
providing him with a very nice home, so
timely netting is very important and
is probably right when fruit is apparent
and taking a sleeve and putting it over
the top and actually sealing
this area and when the flies come in
they can't get into your fruit. Nothing
really can get in so it would be after
flowering and when the fruit is apparent.
Some backyard growers actually have hoops because
another pest problem could be something
like birds and so you could actually put
a whole netting across a plant over that hoop.
I'm just doing this for display purposes
because I don't quite have the big
enough size of netting. Again very
breathable netting and you actually cover your
fruit across that hoop -
keeping those flies out and again after
flowering because you want to have
proper pollination and have that
interaction of plant and insect and when
it comes time.
When the spotted wing drosophila could
arise is to actually cover it with a
netting. I think another tool that I
didn't mention too is really timely
harvests -- the more ripe and ripening
and over ripe fruit that very much
appeals to a spotted
winged drosophila, so it is important to
really harvest regularly in your
backyard - not allow it to become to that
state.
Amy Dreves, an entomologist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, demonstrates how to drape plants with netting to keep out spotted wing drosophila flies. Filmed and edited by Tiffany Woods.
This piece is part of the collection
Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)
