If wet and blustery Irene weren’t enough, a pesky fly never before seen in Connecticut has taken an exasperating toll on a Guilford pick-your-own orchard known for its juicy raspberry harvest.
Bishop’s Orchards has prematurely shut down its raspberry patches for the rest of the 2011 harvest due to the damaging effects of the recent tropical storm and an insect pest, Drosophila suzukii, or “vinegar fly,” a close relative to the common fruit fly, the farm’s CEO says.
This is the first appearance of this pest in Connecticut, authorities say.
It is the first time in a decade that the orchard’s raspberry harvest was virtually nonexistent, officials said.
“We were hoping to develop an appropriate monitoring and control strategy in time to bring this pest infestation under control and salvage at least part of our 2011 raspberry-picking season,” CEO Jonathan Bishop said in a statement.
“Unfortunately,” Bishop said, “further damage to the raspberry canes and berries caused by tropical storm Irene now makes it highly unlikely that we will be able to accomplish this.”
Bishop’s Orchard is working closely with the University of Connecticut’s Cooperative Extension, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and studying resource material from other states where this pest has already become a major pest to craft a solution.
Despite the early end to its raspberry harvest, Bishop’s fall crop of apples, pumpkins and pears sustained minimal storm damage and are available for pick-your-own harvesting, Jonathan Bishop said.
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