Spotted wing drosophila-microbe interactions: Integrating ecological complexity into SWD management4/22/2021
written by: Huiyu Sheng and Arielle Arsenault-Benoit
Maggie Lewis, a PhD student in the Hamby Lab, aims to advance sustainable management of spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii, SWD). Spotted-wing drosophila is a pest of soft skinned fruits such as raspberries and blackberries that is specifically adapted to infest ripe fruit prior to harvest, unlike other fruit flies that often lay their eggs in overripe or rotting fruit. Spotted Wing Drosophila presents a considerable threat to the small fruits industry because the management options are limited and the consumer tolerance threshold to larvae in fruit is very low. Lewis’s dissertation work aims to inform and improve traditional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches for SWD through a better understanding of the fly’s relationships with yeasts, synergism with fruit rot fungi, and optimization of traditional management practices. In recognition of Dr. Bill Lamp's extraordinary dedication to Honors education at the University of Maryland he has been named recipient of the Honors College's highest award, the Winston Family Honors Faculty Award. For nearly two decades Bill has directed the Department of Entomology’s Honors program, which has graduated 30 students 17 of whom were mentees of his lab. In addition to his directing role Bill also instructs stand out courses like HONR208D, “Insect Biodiversity: The Good, theBad and the Weird,” in the University Honors Program. Please join us in congratulating Bill on this well deserved recognition!
& if you get a chance spread the word on social media: facebook, twitter Varroa mites are a major threat to honeybee health in the US. Chemical applications have proved effective at controlling varroa mite populations in honey bee colonies, however, only to a point. The mites are developing resistance to these chemicals. Collaborative study between University of Valencia and UMD Entomology Bee Lab researchers, Grad Student Krisztina Christmon & Associate Professor Dennis vanEngelsdorp, demonstrate mutations related to tau-fluvalinate resistance in Varroa destructor are widely distributed in the US. Their research reveals an urgent need for pest management strategies based on treatment resistance. Knowing the frequency of resistant mites, the authors argue, would help beekeepers choose the right treatment for their colonies.
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