This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Rutgers scientists have identified natural repellents against an invasive blueberry pest, a discovery made accidentally when fruit flies invaded their laboratory. The accident, more than a decade in the making, could one day transform how commercial crops are protected.
"As a kid, this is what I thought science was—you stumble on something and go, 'Eureka!'" said Beth Ferguson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Rutgers Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and lead author of the study, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. "Of course, that doesn't happen most of the time, which is why I call this a very happy accident." Each summer, Ferguson and colleagues conduct research on an invasive fruit fly, the spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii).
Found in New Jersey in 2011, the fly is one of the biggest threats to commercial fruit production, particularly soft-fleshed fruit such as blueberries. Unlike other Drosophila flies, which lay eggs on and feed on rotten fruit, the spotted-wing drills into intact, ripening fruit, using a sawlike tube to deposit its eggs. The fly larvae hatch and destroy the fruit from within.
The resulting spoilage is costly to producers. In 2025, New Jersey growers produced 47.5 million pounds (21.5 million kilograms) of blueberries, with a production value of more than $94 million. The state consistently ranks among the top blueberry producers nationwide, and blueberries are New Jersey's No. 1 crop.
But growers spend heavily on chemical insecticides, which do not always provide complete control and can harm nontarget organisms. In their lab, Ferguson and colleagues breed colonies of spotted-wing flies to test new, nonchemical management strategies. And nearly every summer, something curious happened to the colonies they raised: The enclosure, located close to the research center's kitchen, would be invaded by a common fruit fly, D. melanogaster, which led to die-offs of the spotted-wing flies.
With thousands of flies in these containers, not even a skilled researcher can differentiate them with the naked eye, said Ferguson. But fly colonies do have different smells, and when enough D. melanogaster flies had reproduced to outnumber the spotted-wing flies, the scent was unmistakable. "We'd notice a smell change, going from a spotted-wing smell—like cornmeal—to a very heavy vinegar decay odor, which is the telltale smell of melanogaster," said Ferguson.
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