The Hardy strawberry farm in Bellengreville, Calvados, produces up to 2 tons of strawberries a day. However, at the beginning of August they had to throw away some of their production which was attacked by the Japanese insect. Alexandre Hardy says that the fly has been damaging crops for 2 years now and that “it affects all red fruits, such as grapes and cherries. Tomatoes even. I have had to stop growing crops because of this fly. It effects the conservation of the fruits, but is not a danger to consumers.”
Drosophila Suzukii was seen in Japan in 1916 for the first time and did significant damage to crops in California and Canada in 2008, before being detected in Europe a year later. International trade is probably what helped it to spread. The Regional Federation of Pest Control says that damage caused by the Drosophila Suzuki can cause significant economic losses: on a plot of strawberries, 50% was damaged in the Alpes-Maritimes. Mr Hardy will not “treat” against the fly, as it is not very sensitive to classic pesticides, the only remedy is the yellow plastic traps hung from the top of the greenhouses.