Monitoring for Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) in blueberry fields throughout Skagit County began on May 26, 2026. Traps are checked weekly to track the presence of adult flies and provide growers with timely information about pest pressure during the growing season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, monitoring has revealed an atypical pattern of emergence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of\u00a0June 12, 2026,\u00a0the Skagit County monitoring program has recorded a cumulative total of\u00a01,302\u00a0adult SWD flies<\/strong>. For comparison, the average cumulative count at this point in the season since 2017 is only\u00a056 adult flies<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trap counts alone do not determine fruit infestation levels, and it\u2019s important that blueberry producers know the number of larvae in fruit, especially before peak harvest season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotted Wing Drosophila is different from many fruit pests because females can lay eggs in healthy, ripening fruit. Once larvae develop inside berries, fruit quality can quickly decline, leading to economic losses and harvest challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SWD populations can change rapidly depending on environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and food availability. That’s why monitoring both adult and larval populations is essential throughout the season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Adult trap catches provide an early warning system, but inspecting fruit for larvae gives further insight into what is happening inside the crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Early Monitoring Matters <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Looking Beyond Trap Counts <\/h3>\n\n\n\n