Erythritol combined with non-nutritive sucralose increases feeding by Drosophila suzukii, quickens mortality and reduces oviposition

Drosophila suzukii, spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a fly pest of small fruits and cherries often managed by chemical insecticides, finding convenient, human-safe alternative challenge. Erythritol, non-caloric sugar, safe for humans toxic to D. suzukii causing an osmotic imbalance. Combining erythritol with sucrose as phagostimulant can enhance mortality. However, sticky when applied on plants provides flies nutritional carbohydrate if non-lethal dose ingested. Therefore, our objectives were find alternative, sugar that also has phagostimulative properties, where the formulation will mortality, reduce daily oviposition rates before females die. Through capillary no-choice choice experiments, fed 0.1 M sucralose (Sul) readily, consumed more 1.5 erythritol: (E:Sul) than alone. In eleven different mortality assays, E:Sul induced did 0.5 (E:S) formulation, while was successful E:S could drink water offset loss. Sucralose (0.1 M) itself had modest insecticidal but combined it increased effect. Both formulations reduced directly in cotton wick or blueberry fruit. The latter suggests sugary coating deterrent Given potential E:Sul, additional studies effect osmolar regulation, metabolism, field efficacy trials are underway provide growers efficacious tool.