Current status of the Drosophila suzukii control in Europe

The invasive spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is a polyphagous pest originating from Southeast Asia that breeds in most wild and cultivated soft-skinned fruits. The economic impacts of this pest on the susceptible crops are staggering and sustainable management is challenging. Since its first detection in the western countries, many efforts have been made to develop nontoxic effective management strategies, nonetheless chemical control remains the principal tool used by farmers to reduce the pest population. There is a number of drawbacks associated with the massive use of pesticides, including increased risk of residues on fruit, worker safety reduction and ecological imbalances resulting in secondary pest outbreaks. Moreover, the use of broad-spectrum chemistries jeopardizes the results obtained with IPM on soft fruits. In this context, the development of alternative control methods appears urgent to ensure an economic future for the concerned fruit industry. Possible solutions would only arise from a coordinated and international network of diverse expertise, from molecular biology and neurophysiology to pest management techniques, aiming at understanding the fundamental aspects of the ecology of this pest and paving the way for implementing effective and sustainable control strategies. This paper will review the current information first about the biology of D. suzukii, its reproductive behavior and dispersal ability and then on how it would be possible to combine and optimize pesticide use with biological, physical and agronomical control tools.