Protect against fruit fly

Queensland Fruit Fly attacks and damages a range of fruit and vegetables. Fruit fly control is a community effort and requires action from home gardeners, property owners and growers. Anyone with a fruit tree or veggie patch can help stop the spread of the pest.

What home gardeners and rural property owners do in their garden or yard impacts our region’s horticultural industry and commercial growers because fruit fly can easily move from on area to another.

A combination of simple control strategies is recommended:

• Protect with netting, bags or sleeves to prevent fruit fly reaching fruit
• Inspect fruit regularly
• Pick and remove fallen or rotten fruit
• Harvest fruit early or as it ripens
• Apply baits or approved insecticide sprays to kill fruit fly
• Use traps to monitor for and kill fruit fly – check traps regularly

Fruit fly hot spots

A number of locations have been identified as sites of concern through the Goulburn Murray Valley regional trapping grid. If you live in or near the below hot spot locations extra vigilance and control measures are required.

• Merrigum
• Coomboona
• Cobram
• Cobram East
• Koonoomoo – critical level

Free Fruit Tree Removal

The removal of unmanaged fruit fly habitat eliminates potential breeding grounds and is an effective option to control fruit fly. If you have a fruit tree you no longer want or can’t manage, have it removed free of charge. Pick up an application form from participating council’s customer service centre or visit www.fruitfl ycontrol.com.au

Fruit fly snapshot

Queensland Fruit Fly make the migration from urban areas of the Goulburn Murray Valley out to peri-urban and rural locations from February.

This migration pattern is influenced by a decline in the availability of fruiting plants in urban areas by late summer as fruit is harvested, eaten by birds or deteriorate and fall off due to hot, dry weather.

The delay in annual peak temperatures across the Goulburn Murray Valley delayed summer fruit fly peaks, which are later than normal this year. It is important home gardeners and property owners look for signs of fruit fly and take action.

Fruit fly control

Fruit fly control across home gardens, urban properties and orchards will help reduce the spread of fruit fly in our region.