In charge of experiments on Drosophila suzukii and the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)

Dates: 1 April 2023 – 28 February 2026

CBGP manager: Simon Fellous

My contract forms part of two ANR projects: suzuKIISS:me (2021-2024) and HOLOVINI (2023-2026).

The SuzuKIISS:me project aims to develop the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for the red soft fruit pest Drosophila suzukii. As part of this, I am working on improving the protocol for rearing, filtering and ionising the pupae. I am also conducting experiments aimed at improving the effectiveness of SIT (competitiveness of wild males versus sterile males, sexual preferences of wild females, impact of sterile eggs on microbial development in fruit, etc.).

The HOLOVINI project aims to develop an innovative, holistic approach to assessing the contribution of environmental microbiomes and arthropods to the colonisation of grape berries. As part of this project, I am working on two research questions:

• What effect do fruit flies have on the spatial dynamics of microbes on grapes?
• Does the effect of fruit flies on the microbiota of grape berries alter the fermentation of natural wines (wines made without the addition of yeast during fermentation)?

Keywords: Drosophila suzukii; biological control; microbiota; plant protection