strawberry and any other soft fruit alarming pest

[Kier]

I dont visit this site now because of the ads everywhere,but I thought I would warn you if you didnt already know

anyway im in Kent and we have a serious plague of very small maggots in most soft fruit it is in my strawberries and has spoilt my late crop , a friend lost about 30kg of cherries to the same, be aware its from asia its the spotted wing drosophila fly it spends 10 days in a fruit 10 days in the soil and then the adult lays eggs again after another 10 days so they soon turn into a plague, I am now going to strim the rest of my strawberries and remove every thing, my cherry tree is ok because I netted with a fine net so I dont think they can get in, im going to spray my bluberries with spinosad I think its called,

the maggot is about 3mm long and the strawberries just start to go soft and you cant see the hole so you think its just rot but its not
the otherwise known as susukii fly can go 30mls looking for food, in winter they stay in the ground until next season
I think its not am I going to get it its when am I going to get it
in the first year in america it ruined 300 million £s of fruit

[fishpond]

Hi
Many thanks for the heads up on this, looks a bit serious.

[Martin H]

I'd not heard of this one but it seems to me that I need to start being a lot more careful with hygeine around the raspberries and strawberries. Here's a useful factsheet, aimed at commercial growers but interesting anyway: http://www.hdc.org.uk/sites/default/...%20growers.pdf

[Speed Gardener]

There's not much it doesn't go for! That's about 80% of my output at risk if this thing gets a hold.
We've got blackberries all around in the hedgerows, as well as sloes and other wild fruits, how are we supposed to stop it?
As Corporal Jones says: DON'T PANIC!! :0

[veggiechicken]

I dont visit this site now because of the ads everywhere,but I thought I would warn you if you didnt already know

Thanks Kier for the headsup. I'm sorry the ads are driving you away. Have you tried AdblockPlus? Its free and its a great help - but don't let on I told you

[digon]

Markus Kobelt mentioned this pest in one of the Lubera newsletters a few months ago.

Ruckzucki® - the most effective trap against the spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) | Trips & gardens | Blog | Lubera - fruitful gardening

They sell traps for it but they are £30/ dozen.

Seems this might quickly become a very significant pest for all fruit growers.

[Kier]

Markus Kobelt mentioned this pest in one of the Lubera newsletters a few months ago.

Ruckzucki® - the most effective trap against the spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) | Trips & gardens | Blog | Lubera - fruitful gardening

They sell traps for it but they are £30/ dozen.

Seems this might quickly become a very significant pest for all fruit growers.

this appears to be a commercial advert

apple cider vinegar attracts them apparently

[muddled]

Please use adblock Kier....you are the most local grape to me....and you give good warnings!

Maggots in beautiful strawberries...(shudder)....nothing worse.

[Kier]

Please use adblock Kier....you are the most local grape to me....and you give good warnings!

Maggots in beautiful strawberries...(shudder)....nothing worse.

I have addblock but after a while the ads fight back and adblock causes problems with my computer
seen the blighters now like white fly but not white more light brown

[Speed Gardener]

These things have appeared in Ashford, Middx this summer; a friend of mine is removing all her raspberries from her plot due to the ruining of this year's crop. No point in growing them any more...
Interestingly, her currants were not affected.
I'm only seven miles away, so am bracing myself...