Life History and Overwintering Survival of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a pest that has recently invaded North America in the past 5 years, causing damage to soft skinned and stone fruit. I completed a life history analysis, measuring the development, survival, fecundity, hatch rate, and sex ratio of an Ontario ecotype of D. suzukii. I constructed a life table and reproductive schedule, and estimated the intrinsic rate of increase (r) for this pest (0.179). The mean (± SE) total lifespan was 86.1 ± 4.25 days, with a maximum value of 153.7 days. The stable age distribution (cx) was comprised of only 8% adults. An overwintering survival analysis was performed for D. suzukii, considering sex, ecotype, photoperiod exposure, mated status, acclimation, rearing temperature, and fecundity after cold exposure. Flies could not survive for 6 weeks below 1 °C. Mated females surviving a 6-week cold exposure were able to produce viable offspring post-exposure.