Another annoying Californian invader

Every year a new monster emerges in the gardening world whether it's a new pest or a new invasive weed. This year: Drosophila Suzukii, aka, Asian fruit fly.

Before you Californians get your pansies in a bunch, I do realize you didn't concoct this berry destroyer in your lab. It is indeed from Asia even though it made its way up here last year from California. Don't know how it got here, but it's here and it doesn't look pretty for our cherished Oregon cherries, berries and peaches.

What makes this fruit fly different and more threatening is that it's attracted to ripe and ripening fruit rather than rotting fruit and your un-rinsed beer bottles. It likes to lay its heathen spawn eggs into a healthy ripening berry so that when they hatch they don't have to get up off from the couch and walk to the kitchen for a snack. Imagine, being born into your fridge, or better yet, the deep fryer at McDonald's.

Time to freak out? Only if you make a living selling fruit...