Composting susceptible fruit wastes reduces Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) reproductive habitat.

BACKGROUND: Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive, polyphagous vinegar fly pest that is primarily controlled by calendar-based broad-spectrum insecticide programs. Nonchemical management tactics are urgently needed to reestablish IPM within affected berry and cherry cropping systems. Composting is a post-harvest crop sanitation strategy that could potentially be used to manage D. suzukii infestation of fruit wastes. RESULTS: This study found that D. suzukii emergence decreased exponentially with an increasing proportion of chicken manure, with emergence reduced by 95% in compost treatments containing 25% chicken manure. Furthermore, Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) demonstrated a response similar to D. suzukii in the field. CONCLUSION: Integrating this control tactic into existing D. suzukii management programs may help to reduce the need for insecticide applications for D. suzukii as well as provide improved management of other Drosophila spp. in post-harvest systems.

Postharvest Burial of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Infested Fruit Waste Reduces Adult Emergence.

The arrival of spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), to the United States has caused many berry and cherry growers to replace IPM programs with calendar-based broad-spectrum insecticide programs. Alternative management tactics are urgently needed to mitigate the current dependency on chemical control. Postharvest burial is a cultural crop sanitation strategy that has the potential to reduce D. suzukii reproductive habitat and eliminate infested fruit wastes. This study revealed that D. suzukii rarely pupate on the soil's surface or below 1 cm, but are capable of unburying themselves from depths up to 48 cm. Although zero emergence was not obtained in the field, adult emergence decreased exponentially with deeper burial depths. A burial depth of 24 cm reduced D. suzukii emergence by 97%, although soil texture may influence this optimal burial depth. Soils that had a higher concentration of sand had a negative impact on D. suzukii survival at shallower burial depths. The mechanism behind the reduction in adult emergence from differing burial depths remains unclear as the lipid concentration between emerging D. suzukii was the same regardless of burial depth.

MotivATE: A Pretreatment Web-Based Program to Improve Attendance at UK Outpatient Services Among Adults With Eating Disorders.

BACKGROUND: In the UK, eating disorders affect upward of 725,000 people per year, and early assessment and treatment are important for patient outcomes. Around a third of adult outpatients in the UK who are referred to specialist eating disorder services do not attend, which could be related to patient factors related to ambivalence, fear, and a lack of confidence about change. This lack of engagement has a negative impact on the quality of life of patients and has implications for service costs. OBJECTIVE: To describe the development of a Web-based program ("MotivATE") designed for delivery at the point of referral to an eating disorder service, with the aim of increasing service attendance. METHODS: We used intervention mapping and a person-based approach to design the MotivATE program and conducted a needs assessment to determine the current impact of service nonattendance on patients (via a review of the qualitative evidence) and services (through a service provision survey to understand current issues in UK services). Following the needs assessment, we followed the five steps of program development outlined by Bartholomew et al (1998): (1) creating a matrix of proximal program objectives; (2) selecting theory-based intervention methods and strategies; (3) designing and organizing the program; (4) specifying adoption and implementation plans; and (5) generating program evaluation plans. RESULTS: The needs assessment identified current nonattendance rates of 10%-32%. We defined the objective of MotivATE as increasing attendance rates at an eating disorder service and considered four key determinants of poor attendance: patient ambivalence about change, low patient self-efficacy, recognition of the need to change, and expectations about assessment. We chose aspects of motivational interviewing, self-determination theory, and the use of patient stories as the most appropriate ways to enable change. Think-aloud piloting with people with lived experience of an eating disorder resulted in positive feedback on the MotivATE program. Participants related well to the stories used. Nonetheless, because of feedback, we further modified the program in line with patients' stage of change and addressed issues with the language used. A consultation with service staff meant that we could make clear implementation plans. Finally, a randomized controlled trial is currently underway to evaluate the MotivATE program. CONCLUSIONS: Using intervention mapping, we have developed a novel pretreatment Web-based program that is acceptable to people with eating disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first such program. The model of development described here could be a useful template for designing further programs for other difficult-to-engage populations.