Drosophila suzukii Detected in South Africa

By Dominic Chandiwila Nali

Drosophila suzukii is a fly native to East Asia and widely established in the Americas and Europe. It is a destructive pest that feeds mostly on soft-skinned fruits. Other than that, the pest has a wide range hosts as it is mostly harboured in non-crop.
In Africa, Drosophila suzukii has been detected on Blueberry orchards in four provinces in South Africa after random surveys in collaboration with the research institutions and government in the reported areas.
The Ministry of Agriculture through the Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Services said that the pest has so far been detected in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and the Limpopo and in Kwa-Zulu Natal Provinces.
Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Services (PQPS) Director Dr. Kenneth Msiska said the potential spread or establishment of Drosophila suzukii from South Africa may negatively affect Zambia’s domestic and international trade of host commodities such as blueberries, citrus fruits, strawberries and many others.
Dr. Msiska said the Ministry of Agriculture through his Department is conducting a pest risk analysis aimed at revising the import requirements of host plants and commodities from South Africa to prevent the introduction of the pest into Zambia through trade.
The Dr. Director Kenneth Msiska said that some of the host species besides blueberries are apples, citrus, plum, mango, and strawberries.
Dr. Kenneth Msiska said through his department, the Ministry of Agriculture has engaged the plant health competent authority in South Africa to obtain additional information that could be useful in the review of the import requirements.
The director of Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Services (PQPS has noted the need for collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and farmers in the sector to intensified surveillance and ensure the pest is not introduced or established in the country.

The Langkloof area in the KouKamma Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, Overberg District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, the Mopani District Municipality in the Limpopo Province and in the uMgungundlovu District Municipality in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province are areas most affected.
Drosophila suzukii, or spotted wing drosophila is a small fly that belongs to a group commonly known as vinegar or pomace flies and is able to attack the ripe fruit of some hosts using its unique serrated ovipositor to lay eggs under the skin.