Summary

Most of the Goulburn Murray Valley’s commercial horticulture is harvested over the next couple of months. Autumn is often a time of increased Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) population due to proliferation of ripening and ripe fruit in commercial orchards and home gardens.

These crops are especially prone to attack by Qfly. At the same time Qfly is moving away from the protection of fruitful refuges in urban areas of the GMV to the more attractive commercial orchards surrounding many GMV towns and villages. As harvest continues Qfly moves further out into outlying orchards following a pathway of ripening fruit. This migration creates an added cost of production to reduce Qfly numbers for growers.

Removal of fruit (or the whole plant if it is not wanted) now is an important measure in reducing future fruit fly problems – especially in urban and peri-urban areas that are close to commercial orchards.

Current Qfly Hot Spots

This program has hundreds of surveillance traps strategically located throughout the GMV region.

These traps were checked weekly between November 2025 and May 2026 and Qfly hot spots have been identified and communicated to the community, industry and government. Hot spot sites have been visited by Field Officers and support offered to landholders. Trapping data has indicated that Qfly numbers are higher in areas where home gardens are located close to commercial horticulture. Conversely, Qfly numbers are lower in traps that are situated near commercial growing areas remotely located away from urban home gardens and public land corridors.

Current hot spots are:

• LEMNOS
• MOOROOPNA
• KAARIMBA
• MERRIGUM
• ARDMONA
• COBRAM
• COOMBOONA
• INVERGORDON
• ORRVALE
• SHEPPARTON
• TATURA
• GUNBOWER
• NAGAMBIE
• YARRAWONGA

Weather

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts higher maximum temperatures during May and average minimum temperatures in May 2026. Rainfall is likely to be less than average (only a 25% to 30% chance of exceeding the average of 10mm to 25mm for March). Daily minima will impact adversely on Qfly survival, especially if the insect is at an immature stage (i.e. egg, larva or pupa) and is exposed to these temperatures and durations. Qfly adults are likely to have found warm refuges somewhere on the landscape by this time and may overwinter there if not killed off or controlled by predators, subsequent exposure to cold or wet weather or by strategic baiting.

Currently sunset temperatures are not low enough to stop Qfly from mating, so new eggs will be laid into any available fruit. This is an especially dangerous time for commercial harvests currently occurring.