The arrival of spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), to the United States has caused many berry and cherry growers to replace IPM programs with calendar-based broad-spectrum insecticide programs. Alternative management tactics are urgently needed to mitigate the current dependency on chemical control. Postharvest burial is a cultural crop sanitation strategy that has the potential to reduce D. suzukii reproductive habitat and eliminate infested fruit wastes. This study revealed that D. suzukii rarely pupate on the soil’s surface or below 1 cm, but are capable of unburying themselves from depths up to 48 cm. Although zero emergence was not obtained in the field, adult emergence decreased exponentially with deeper burial depths. A burial depth of 24 cm reduced D. suzukii emergence by 97%, although soil texture may influence this optimal burial depth. Soils that had a higher concentration of sand had a negative impact on D. suzukii survival at shallower burial depths. The mechanism behind the reduction in adult emergence from differing burial depths remains unclear as the lipid concentration between emerging D. suzukii was the same regardless of burial depth.

BACKGROUND: Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive, polyphagous vinegar fly pest that is primarily controlled by calendar-based broad-spectrum insecticide programs. Nonchemical management tactics are urgently needed to reestablish IPM within affected berry and cherry cropping systems. Composting is a post-harvest crop sanitation strategy that could potentially be used to manage D. suzukii infestation of fruit wastes. RESULTS: This study found that D. suzukii emergence decreased exponentially with an increasing proportion of chicken manure, with emergence reduced by 95% in compost treatments containing 25% chicken manure. Furthermore, Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) demonstrated a response similar to D. suzukii in the field. CONCLUSION: Integrating this control tactic into existing D. suzukii management programs may help to reduce the need for insecticide applications for D. suzukii as well as provide improved management of other Drosophila spp. in post-harvest systems.