Jun 17, 2015
Entomologists combat fruit-damaging fly
From the first swelling of fruit in a blueberry field to the moment a consumer savors the finished product, the quality of that berry should remain high. North Carolina’s $66 million blueberry industry is determined to keep it that way, and farmers spent an extra $36-54 per acre on pesticides alone in 2012. An emerging threat to the state's $104.6 million small fruit industry, including raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, is a tiny fly from Asia known as spotted wing drosophila. NC State University's Dr. Hannah J. Burrack spoke about her research on SWD detection and management in a recent webinar hosted by Marron Bio Innovations.