[8][9] D. suzukii has a slow rate of evolution due to its lower number of generations per year, because it enters winter diapause.

It first appeared in North America in central California in August 2008,[4] then was found in Oregon and Washington State by Lee et al., 2011[11]: 369  in the Pacific Northwest in 2009,[12] and is now widespread throughout California's coastal counties,[9] western Oregon, western Washington,[4] and parts of British Columbia[13] and Florida.

[3] Research shows that many of the males and most of the females of the late-hatching generations overwinter in captivity—some living as long as 300 days.

With as many as 13 generations per season, and the ability for the female to lay up to 300 eggs each, the potential population size of D. suzukii is huge.

It is also important to note that males of D. suzukii become sterile at 30 °C (86 °F) and population size may be limited in regions that reach that temperature.

The economic impact of D. suzukii on fruit crops is negative and significantly affects a wide variety of summer fruit in the United States including cherries,[9][11]: 369  blueberries,[9][11]: 369  grapes,[9] nectarines,[9] pears,[9] plums,[9] pluots,[9] peaches,[9] raspberries,[11]: 369  and strawberries,[9] and blackberries.

[25] Future losses may decrease as growers learn how to better control the pest, or may keep increasing as the fly continues to spread.

Traps that use apple cider vinegar with a bait made of whole wheat dough have been successful for farmers for both capture and monitoring.

[26] Farmers are advised to place these traps in a shaded area as soon as the first fruit is set and to not remove them until the end of harvest.

The traps should be checked once a week and farmers should look for the spot on the wing of the males to determine if D. suzukii is present.

One way to manage D. suzukii is to remove the infested fruit and place it in a plastic bag in the garbage.

This method is effective from removing D. suzukii from gardens and small areas but is difficult for farmers with larger operations to do this.

[30] Sprays should be in place prior to egg laying and the coverage needs to be thorough because adults often hide in dense portion of the canopy.

Depending on the variety of soft fruit and laws in different states and countries, there are many types of organic and conventional sprays that are effective.

Because of the species' short lifespan, multiple weekly releases per season could be required for an effective deterrent.

The male flies, however, remain fertile and pass the mutated gene to future generations when they mate with unmodified females.

The intestinal bacterial communities of adult and larval D. suzukii collected in its invasive range (USA), were found to be simple and mostly dominated by Tatumella spp.

[49][50][51] The yeast species found to be most frequently associated with D. suzukii were Hanseniaspora uvarum, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Pichia terricola, and P.