Potential of the European earwig (Forficula auricularia) as a biocontrol agent of the soft and stone fruit pest Drosophila suzukii

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The unintentional introduction of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) from Asia has caused global economic losses in soft and stone fruit industries. Pesticide use can have unintended negative impacts on natural enemies, disrupting attempts to incorporate integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. Generalist predators could potentially act as biocontrol agents of D. suzukii. In this context, the predatory capabilities of the European earwig (Forficula auricularia) were investigated.
RESULTS: In semi-field conditions, F. auricularia were effective at reducing the
reproductive rate of D. suzukii in more densely populated enclosures. In controlled laboratory conditions, significant negative effects of earwigs were observed for both low (3 breeding pairs) and high (6 breeding pairs) D. suzukii densities. Both semi-field and laboratory experiments revealed that F. auricularia predation on adult D. suzukii could not account for the subsequent reductions in population density.
CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in both larval and adult offspring in the presence of
earwigs indicate an impact on D. suzukii via predation prior to metamorphosis or disruption of oviposition. Although F. auricularia may predate D. suzukii populations, its capacity to act as a biocontrol agent may be limited. However, results suggest that F. auricularia may be a more effective biocontrol agent earlier in the growing season.

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ORCID for Herman Wijnen: orcid.org/0000-0002-8710-5176

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