Preliminary survey of Drosophila suzukii parasitoids in New Jersey, USA

Invasive species are a major threat to agriculture and natural habitats in the world. Drosophila suzukii is an insect native to East Asia that was first detected in the continental USA in 2008 in California. Since then, D. suzukii has become a major pest of soft, thin-skinned fruit crops, causing significant economic losses throughout the USA and globally. Its management relies intensively on programmed chemical control, which is costly, non-sustainable, and needs frequent reapplications. The use of beneficial insects in a biological control program for D. suzukii is a sustainable method that could reduce the reliance on insecticides. Ganaspis brasiliensis, a D. suzukii parasitoid native to Asia, has been approved for mass release in the USA. To identify potential biological control agents of D. suzukii in New Jersey (USA), we will assess the presence of parasitoids of D. suzukii in wild soft, thin-skinned berries. Sentinel traps baited with D. suzukii-infested fruit will be deployed together with direct collections of wild fruits in non-crop areas surrounding five commercial blueberry farms with different management practices. During the 2022 field season (May to September), common parasitoids of drosophilids such as those in the families Braconidae, Figitidae, and Diapriidae will be identified from these traps and fruit collections. These parasitoid surveys will be conducted before and after releases of G. brasiliensis.