Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) continues to spread in most provinces. The latest distribution map combines the results of trap catches and once-off samples. The data includes field reports. Keep in mind that areas without green or red dots are areas without data, not necessarily areas without SWD.
Notable new records of SWD since January 2025 include the first reports from Gauteng, North West, northern KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and the Free State.
Research is underway to develop a risk-management system and inform integrated pest management for SWD. The project is led by Prof. Pia Addison of the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University, and co-funded by BerriesZA, Hortgro, SATI, and SAWine.
BerriesZA is also funding a study on postharvest mitigation of SWD, led by Dr Renate Smit of the specialist postharvest research facility PHYLA.
Please refer to the BerriesZA website for our SWD best-practice guidelines and fact sheet.
View video guides on SWD monitoring, including making your own traps, on the Hortgro YouTube channel.
Additional information on SWD is available in the March 2025 issue of Fresh Quarterly, a free technical publication from Hortgro Science.
