Drosophila suzukii (or spotted wing Drosophila) is an economically important pest which can have a devastating impact on soft and stone fruit industries. Biological pesticides are being sought as alternatives to synthetic chemicals to control this invasive pest, but many are subject to degradation either in the environment or in the insect gut and as a result require protection. In this study we identified a sharp change in pH of the adult midgut from neutral to acidic (pH 6, but underwent rapid dissolution at pH < 4.2. In vivo studies showed that the natural acidity of the midgut of D. suzukii also induced the breakdown of the responsive P2VP microcapsules to release FITC-dextran which was taken up into the body of the insect and accumulated in the renal tubules
