Composting susceptible fruit wastes reducesDrosophila suzukii(Diptera: Drosophilidae) reproductive habitat

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 manageD. suzukiiinfestation of fruit wastes. RESULTS This study found thatD. suzukiiemergence 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 toD. suzukiiin the field. CONCLUSION Integrating this control tactic into existingD. suzukiimanagement programs may help to reduce the need for insecticide applications forD. suzukiias well as provide improved management of otherDrosophilaspp. in post-harvest systems.