Fruit Fly - What are the Facts? How Can I Help?

Fruit Flies are the World’s Worst Fruit Pests

Fruit flies lay eggs in all fruit (except pineapples) including tomatoes and some other vegetables as well as fruits of flowering ornamental trees and shrubs

Fruit flies lay eggs in maturing or ripe fruit NOT in blossoms or very young fruit

To reduce fruit fly attacks, always pick fruit early

The Owner/Occupier of any Premises is Advised:

To report suspected infected fruit to your Local Dept Agriculture

To destroy all unwanted fruit, whether on trees or ground, as soon as possible.

How to Destroy Unwanted Fruit

Secure fruit inside a sealed plastic bag and expose bag to sun for 3 days in sunny weather

or

Totally immerse fruit in water inside a watertight covered container for sufficient time – usually a week

or

Boil or burn all fruit

or

Remove all mature fruit trees

How You can Help Reduce the Risk of Fruit Fly Outbreaks

• Inform you friends and relatives (and seasonal workers) who are visiting you, NOT to bring fresh fruit and vegetables with them
• Destroy any fresh fruit and vegetables that are brought onto your property by visitors who have purchased or grown them outside your fruit fly free zone.
• Pick fruit as early as possible.  Unwanted fruit on the tree or ground should be collected and destroyed
• Properly manage your fruit trees and use insecticides if necessary
• Remove all unwanted fruit trees
• Always be on the alert for fruit invested with fruit fly larvae – report any find (or suspicion) immediately to your local Department of Agriculture.  If fruit flies are detected early, the outbreak is quicker and cheaper to eradicate

Fruit fly outbreaks are most likely to occur in the warmer months from November to May.

The general public are responsible for checking and maintaining their backyard fruit trees.

Information provided from an information brochure produced by Dept Agriculture.  For further information please contact the Griffith Office on 02 69620248.

© 2008 Wakool Shire Council
This page: http://wakool.local-e.nsw.gov.au/faqs/pages/41424.html