Ore. growers, researchers hope to defeat fruit fly

It's just a tiny bug, but an invasive fruit fly that has worked its way north from California could cause major damage to Oregon's berries, cherries, peaches and other fruit crops.

About 150 growers, researchers and fruit processors gathered Tuesday to brainstorm how to deal with the pest.

The spotted wing Drosophila attacks ripe and ripening fruit, making crops unfit for market. In Oregon, fruit and berry crops valued at about $200 million could be at risk.

"This one can potentially be devastating," said Lynell Tanigoshi, a Washington State University entomologist.

Native to Asia, the fly was found in California in 2008 and spread to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia in 2009. In Oregon it attacked blueberries, raspberries and late-variety peaches last summer. Within weeks of identifying it, Oregon researchers found it had spread to 15 counties.

Scientists are testing pesticides and natural predators. They're trying to determine what color fruit is most attractive to the flies and learning all they can about their life cycles.

Researchers are facing a deadline. Harvest of the Northwest's fruits and berries begins with strawberries in June.

For now, the good news is that the flies are easy to kill with currently approved sprays, but their rapid reproduction and wide range of favored food makes field monitoring and spray timing critical, researchers said. Bob Van Steenwyck, a University of California, Berkeley entomologist, recommended using different types of insecticides in rotation in hopes of preventing the flies from developing resistance.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com