ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — Good weather is not the only thing a farmer needs to grow a good crop. Rockingham County blueberry grower David Moore says a successful farmer needs to spend time in the classroom.

“When you are growing a crop to sell to the public, you need to know everything. A lot of science and research, more than just the growing process,” he said.

So on Tuesday afternoon, Rockingham County blueberry growers grabbed their pen and pad and took notes on how to defeat the spotted winged drosophila.

Spotted winged drosophila is a tiny bug that was discovered in North Carolina two years ago. While most fruit flies prefer rotten fruit, the female drosophila lays her eggs on the same ripe fruit we want to eat.

North Carolina State University professor Dr. Hannah Burrack explained how organic or non-organic insecticides can work to defeat the tiny bug.

“At least have a couple of them in your tool box and rotate the methods of killing insects,” she said.

By following Dr. Burrack’s research, David Moore is looking forward to growing even better blueberries for his customers this summer.

“They like knowing where their product comes from and we are learning the right way to take care of things. That’s what people want,” he said.

To learn more about spotted winged drosophila, click here.