New approaches using Drosophila suzukii as a model to discover effective semiochemicals and biopesticide mixtures for managing insect pests

Climate change has caused an alarming expansion of invasive insect species into new territories. Controlling these pests can be a daunting and costly task.

We aim to establish a high-throughput screening methodology that uses the invasive pest insect D. suzukii (spotted wing Drosophila, SWD) as a model to identify effective semiochemical attractants and biopesticides for pest control. SWD is a notorious pest of soft fruit and berries that we have previously studied in Sweden.

We have developed an unique equipment platform that focuses on advanced behavioral tests for flies with multiple sensors and arenas, enabling longitudinal large-scale testing of semiochemical or biopesticide mixtures.

We will use an AI driven analysis pipeline to reduce the number of mixtures into an optimally reduced subset for detailed analysis.This approach will permit for rapid and effective AI-supported assessment of semiochemical or biopesticide mixtures, relevant for a wide range of invasive insects.

Our goal is to develop rapid and eco-friendly methods to control invasive insects, which will reduce the damage they cause to the environment, economy and potentially our health.

We aim to establish a comprehensive database of efficient semiochemical and biopesticide mixtures for use by government agencies and research.

The team behind this application has a strong background in drosophilid research, which has resulted in numerous high-impact publications and citations.