Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)

This information was last updated in 2019.

The spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a fruit fly which originated in Japan and has spread across the world, first to the USA, then mainland Europe, before first being detected in the United Kingdom in 2012 at NIAB EMR in Kent.

It is an invasive pest of soft and stone fruit crops and, if left uncontrolled, can result in complete crop loss. Unlike the common fruit fly found in the UK (Drosophila melanogaster) which is only attracted to ripe and overripe fruits, the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is attracted to underripe fruits and therefore finds its way into fruit crops both before and during the harvesting period.

AHDB has been involved in disseminating best practice information on SWD to UK fruit growers since 2012, has funded research on SWD in the UK since 2013 and has worked with industry to set up the SWD Working Group, allowing industry partners to unite and collaborate in our quest to develop new and improved management and control systems.

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