Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii

This spotted wing fruit fly is rapidly becoming a major agricultural pest in America and Europe—but for a surprisingly unique reason. Unlike other fruit fly species that attack only rotting or decaying fruit, this species is uniquely destructive because it infests fruit early, during the ripening stage, before the fruit is even ready to pick. Originally from southeast Asia, this invasive pest is far more damaging to commercial crops than its rotting-fruit-eating relatives. The distinctive spotted wings give it away. For farmers, it represents a new class of threat that traditional fruit fly control methods weren't designed to combat.