Spotted Wing Fruit Fly (Drosophila suzukii)

These images result from an assignment to photograph an invasive fruit fly that threatens fruit and berry crops. Unlike domestic fruit flies that typically attack decaying fruit, these prefer fresh and ripening fruit. They can turn a fresh berry crop into mush in just a few days. 


Originally called asian fruit flies, they are a new, invasive species that threatens agriculture across North America.


Fruit flies are tiny. Doing an insect portrait at this scale is a serious technical challenge, and I was unsure that I could pull off by the assigned deadline. I won't bore you with all of the technical details, but I used the same stacking technique discussed in yesterday's post.



portrait of a female spotted wing fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii)



portrait of a female spotted wing fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii)



portrait of a male spotted wing fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii)