Seasonal Abundance Changes of Spotted Wing Drosophila in Neighbouring Habitats in Hungary

The invasive spotted wing drosophila (SWD - Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931)) became an important pest in several parts of Europe in less than one decade. High variations are reported by geographical regions in the phenology of the species and thus in the damages in different soft-skinned fruits. Our study aimed to compare phenological patterns of SWD in various neighbouring habitats (cherry/sour cherry and blackberry plantations, forested and built-up areas) in a hilly berry production region of Hungary (Nógrád county). The investigation consisted of operating 16 bottle traps (with vinegar and red wine) on eight spots during four years (2017-2020). The traps in cherry/sour cherry plantations caught the highest number of SWD (n=21997), which was followed by forests (n=20616), built-up areas (n=10567) and blackberry plantations (n=5035). No substantial differences were found in phenological patterns between the habitat types in any year; the catches did not reflect the lack of ripening fruits. The highest numbers of SWD imagoes were caught in September and October, while virtually no SWD individuals were caught before July. The lack of SWD catches in the first half of the year suggests that long-distance migration may play an essential role in the population dynamic of SWD by re-establishing pest populations regularly in mid-summer in Hungary.

The study was financially supported by NKFIH grant (k119844).