Chemical Control of Drosophila suzukii

Abstract

Current effective Drosophila suzukii Matsumura control programs are mainly based on chemical methods although violations of maximum residue limits for specific pesticides, developing of insecticide resistance and negative impacts to beneficial arthropods. The current published data confirm the excellent activity of insecticides from four families, i.e., spinosyns (e.g., spinosad, spinetoram), pyrethroids (e.g., lambda-cyhalothrin deltamethrin bifenthrin, beta-cyfluthrin, permethrin, fenitrothion, and zeta-cypermethrin), organophosphates (e.g., dimethoate, phosmet, malathion, methidathion, and diazinon), and diamides (cyantraniliprole). The best result achieved by any of them regarding protecting fruits from damage was up to 14 days after application. While less effective insecticides provided shorter periods of fruit protection. Adding a feeding stimulant such as sugar, sugar-yeast bait, or erythritol to the insecticides, i.e., spinosad, spinetoram, acetamiprid, and cyantraniliprole, enhanced their biological performances against D. suzukii. The natural products including; thyme, Leptospermum ericoides, L. scoparium, erythritol+sucrose, the chitinase of Euphorbia characias, Perilla aldehyde, and the powder sulfur had promising results and should be considered in D. suzukii control strategy. However, to maximize the use benefits of those natural compounds, more data on their side effects on beneficials, open-field activity, and environmental impacts are currently sought after. In this chapter, we shed the light on most recent updates of chemical control of D. suzukii.