Maine farmers besieged by Asian fruit fly

Posted by IronPlanet on Jan 24, 2012 5:38:00 PM

Farmers have a wide variety of concerns when it comes to their crops, and one of the bigger problems is pests. It might not seem like much, but small creatures can strike in an instant and completely ruin a full year's worth of crops. That's exactly the problem facing berry farmers in Maine when it comes to the Asian fruit fly, reports the Boston Herald.

The male Drosophila suzukii fly was first spotted in California four years ago, but was only seen in Asia before that. The pest has quickly spread across the country and now appears to have traveled to Maine on the winds of Tropical Storm Irene.

The insect has spotted wings and a saw-like appendage that can easily cut into soft fruits, like berries. The fly tends to lay its eggs inside the fruit, which ruins the crop for farmers.

"Our biggest concern is the low bush blueberry," Jim Dill, a pest management specialist told the news source. "With 50,000 acres - it would be disastrous, just devastating to our current Integrated Pest Management program and the crop. It’s a question of when."

One issue that's not a problem for farmers is finding used agricultural equipment online through IronPlanet. The online auction website allows farmers to search through a wide selection of equipment quickly and easily. With the site's guaranteed inspection reports, farmers know exactly what they're buying, which is one less thing they have to worry about.

Topics: Industry Headlines