Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

McCord, Elzie

Keywords

Spotted Wing Drosophila, Drosophila Suzukii, Agriculture, Pest Control

Area of Concentration

Botany

Abstract

Spotted Wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is an invasive fruit fly of Asian origins. It uses a serrated ovipositor to lay eggs in soft-skin fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and caneberries, causing fruit to rot early. Because of this damage, it has been deemed an economically important pest that must be controlled by Integrated Pest Management practices. The goal of this study was to determine if different fruits impact the fecundity and overall success of SWD. To rear large numbers of SWD to facilitate testing, we designed puree diets from strawberries and grapes for ease of rearing and fungus mitigation. Flies were allowed two days to one week to mate and oviposit on each puree diet to assess diet compatibility and reproductive support. There were no successful puree trials, showing that adult fly food resources impact fitness. Food substrate was inadequate to support reproduction of this species.

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