Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an important quarantine insect pest on blueberry and strawberry exportation in Korea. Due to IPPC recommendations of replacement of methyl bromide (MB) and recent critical issue about its chronic inhalation toxicity to fumigator and related workers along with post-fumigation, alternatives to MB is urgently required. Thus, we evaluated efficacies of ethyl formate (EF) to SWD eggs using two different bioassay methods; using eggs oviposited on artificial diet and on blueberries naturally infested with SWD adults. In results, there was no differences between two bioassay methods in terms of LCT99 value of EF.

Effective phytosanitary fumigation can prevent the introduction of exotic insects into new areas where they become pests. Traditionally Probit 9 level control (99.9968%) was considered as a stand-alone quarantine treatment. However, unacceptable phytotoxic damage often associated with high-dose treatment to realize Probit 9 level control of a large number of pests has often restricted its practical application. Therefore, quarantine security is being achieved for some commodities using a “systems approach”, where quarantine pests are cumulatively reduced to acceptable levels using independent, pre- and postharvest measures that comprise a systems that effectively mitigate the pest. Preharvest reductions in population through the study and application of chemical ecology involving insect behavior modifying chemicals can be an integral part of systems approach. This results in low pest prevalence prior to end point treatment, where pests may be effectively controlled using a less-than-Probit 9 level, low-dose treatment. In this talk, I discuss the chemical ecology of invasive quarantine pests including Drosophila suzukii and its perspective in the effective end point fumigation treatment using ethyl formate.