First report of Drosophila suzukii in Hungary
The NPPO of Hungary recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first finding of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO A2 List) on its territory. On 2012-09-17, 1 male and 2 females were found by researchers carrying out a faunistic survey for invasive pests and in particular for D. suzukii along 5 Hungarian motorways. The pest was found in 1 trap filled with apple cider vinegar, out of approximately 50 traps which had been deployed near Budapest and around Lake Balaton. This trap was located at a service area (‘Táska’) along the M7 (E71) motorway, near Balatonfenyves (Somogy county, Southern side of Lake Balaton). A month later (2012-10-18), 2 other D. suzukii males were caught at the same place, and again no captures were made in the other traps. The pest was identified morphologically, using a stereomicroscope by a dipterologist of the Plant Protection Institute of the Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (formerly Hungarian Natural History Museum). The possible origin of the pest is unknown. Considering the location of the trapping site and the fact that no fruit trees or fruit crops occurred in the surroundings, it is supposed that D. suzukii could have been introduced with infested fruit thrown away at the motorway service area. No official measures have been taken, considering that the pest was found only in a single trap along the motorway without any host plants in the vicinity. As specimens of D. suzukii were found again one month after the first captures, it is likely that the insect has been able to reproduce on this site, possibly on fruit disposed of in waste containers. However, it is not known whether the pest can overwinter under the Hungarian climatic conditions. Research will be conducted in 2013 to verify this. The NPPO will launch a country-wide survey on D. suzukii, focussing on orchards and fruit crops located in the vicinity of the first finding site, as well as on disposal sites that are receiving green waste from motorways.
The pest status of Drosophila suzukii in Hungary is officially declared as: Transient, actionable.
Sources
NPPO of Hungary (2013-02).