Traps baited with a mixture of wine and vinegar are more attractive to Drosophila suzukii
Monitoring programmes for Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO A2 List) usually recommend the use of traps baited with vinegar or wine. Studies have recently been carried out in Oregon (US) on the attractiveness of different baits: wine and vinegar, alone or in combination. The respective roles of acetic acid and ethanol in the fly attraction were also investigated. Results of these studies have showed that numbers of D. suzukii trapped were significantly greater with a mixture of vinegar and wine compared with vinegar alone or wine alone. These studies also indicated that both males and females were attracted by acetic acid but not by ethanol, although a synergy was observed when acetic acid and ethanol were used in mixture. The attraction of D. suzukii to vinegar and wine was partly due to responses to acetic acid and ethanol, although other volatiles from wine and vinegar played a role as the mixture wine/vinegar attracted more flies than the mixture acetic acid/ethanol.
Sources
Landolt PJ, Adams T, Rogg H (2012) Trapping spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura: Drosophilidae), with combinations of vinegar and wine, and acetic acid and ethanol. Journal of Applied Entomology 136, 148-154.