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Salt Flotation Method for Monitoring SWD Larvae in Fruit

Description

This short video demonstrates the salt flotation method for monitoring spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) larvae in fruit.

Materials

  • Fruit (6–8 oz.)
  • Bag (1 gallon)
  • Water (1 gallon) + salt (1 cup)
  • Reusable coffee filter
  • Course filter funnel

Prep

  • Pour cup of salt into water and stir

Steps

  1. Place fruit into bag
  2. Lightly crush fruit in bag
  3. Add salt water solution (let stand 1 hour)
  4. Pour salt water and berry solution over course filter funnel placed on top of disposable coffee filter

Developed and managed by the Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center and the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University. This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2014-70006-22484. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Photograph Credits: “Jackpot of Raspberries” by Beatrice Murch (CC BY-SA 2.0), “Spotted Wing Drosophila” by Martin Cooper (CC BY 2.0).