Abstract Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a vinegar fly native to East Asia that has rapidly expanded its range to become a pest of sweet cherry (Prunus avium, L. 1753 [Rosales: Rosaceae]) and tart cherry (P. cerasus, L. 1753) in North America and Europe. The goal of the research presented herein was to improve the decision-making process for managing D. suzukii in tart cherry. Knowing that D. suzukii females are attracted to ripening fruit, we measured fruit infestation by D. suzukii as it relates to an existing fruit development model that uses full bloom as a biofix, calculating accumulated growing degree days (GDD) with a lower threshold of 4°C. Increasing larval infestation was highly correlated with fruit development expressed as GDD post-bloom with very few larvae developing in fruit subjected to no-choice assays prior to 530 GDD (base 4°C) and no larvae detected in naturally infested fruit prior to 800 GDD. Our findings provide the first quantification of the relationship between fruit development and D. suzukii infestation that allows for pinpointing the timing of fruit susceptibility and that could be used as the basis for a more sustainable management program for this pest in tart cherry orchards.