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The Drosophila is a devastating pest in berry, stone fruit and viticulture, emphasizes Agroscope, the federal competence center for agricultural research.
The fly, which originates from East Asia, was first observed in Switzerland in 2011. They lay their eggs in ripening fruit, which can no longer be sold. So far they have had no efficient natural enemies in Switzerland.
Wasp is believed to push back the pests
In the Jura and Ticino, Asian parasitic wasps are released for an experiment. These are intended to combat the invasive cherry vinegar fly, Agroscope announced on Monday.
According to the competence centre, the release tests with 800 to 1000 parasitic wasps are intended to clarify whether this parasitic wasp can establish itself in Switzerland in order to regulate the population of the spotted winged drosophila and reduce production losses.
In their area of origin, parasitic wasps are a natural antagonist of the spotted drosophila. They parasitize their larvae. As a result, they die.
Agroscope said it was the first beneficial alien species released in Switzerland for biological pest control. The same has been done for the last three years in Italy and the US and this week in France. The first results from these countries should give cause for optimism. (SDA)
Source:Blick
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