Strange Brew a Death Trap for Dreaded Fruit Fly
November 9, 2018 A post on Entomological Society of America’s blog, Entomology Today, highlights new research from China on a promising bait for spotted wing drosophila (SWD) — spent brewer’s yeast. Spent brewer’s yeast is leftover after beer production, and its disposal can be challenging
A team of scientists from China, led by Pumo Cai of the Fujan Agriculture and Forestry University, show that protein developed from the spent brewer’s yeast is much more effective as an attractant than traditional SWD baits. The results of the study were published in October in the Journal of Economic Entomology.
The team compared traps with brewer’s yeast protein and apple cider vinegar and a mixture of sugar, aged vinegar, and wine popular with Chinese farmers. Their research showed the brewer’s yeast not only attracted more flies by drew both male and female SWD over a wide age span.
The team also tracked which times the baits attracted the most flies.
Now, the team will study the effectiveness of brewer’s yeast in fruit crops, where there is concern that the scent of ripe fruit may overcome the yeast.
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