The spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, native to South-East Asia, is an invasive and serious pest of fruit crops. In Pakistan, the species was first detected in 2005 and was found in cherry orchards of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014. The objective of the study was to monitor the seasonal activity of D. suzukii in three different locations of Peshawar and its distribution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the main commercial trading routes in different markets during, 2016/2017, with the aid of traps baited with synthetic fruits-essence. Results revealed that in Peshawar D. suzukii population built-up in first week of November as temperature dropped below 28°C with a peak of population in the first week of December at lowest temperatures of 20°C. Thereafter, occurred a gradual decrease in the population with another peak of January and afterwards population ended later in February when temperatures started to increase for the summer period. Further, females D. suzukii appeared less affected by extreme cold of December. Results of survey confirmed the presence of D. suzukii in most districts of the province under study. The results suggest that D. suzukii is present in Peshawar fruit markets, with a status of scavenger and not as pest in cold part of the year, and it is distributed in almost the whole Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Key words: spotted wing Drosophila, bait trap, pest attribute, population temporal fluctuation, commercial trading routes.