Investigating Bait Spraying to Control Queensland Fruit Fly

This video brings together some of the key experts in the field, to provide information to growers in the Greater Sunraysia region about their best option for Queensland fruit fly control on their properties.

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Bait spraying is by far the most effective way of managing Queensland Fruit Fly populations.  The bait has an attractant in it, so you just put out tiny amounts and the flies actually come and find it.

Let's be Queensland fruit fly warriors

 

Tricia, a community support officer with the Greater Sunraysia Fruit Fly Group is here to teach you a little bit about a flying insect called Queensland Fruit Fly.

 

There are lots of good insects that we find in our backyards – but Queensland fruit fly is a pest for our fruit growers and our fruit growing areas. So we’re going to have a closer look at fruit fly and why it’s especially a problem for us here in the Greater Sunraysia area.

Harvest beautiful produce with insect nets

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Queensland Fruit Fly is a pest – but with nets to keep fruit fly out, you can harvest beautiful produce

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• Prune your fruit trees in winter to less than two metres

• Cover your whole tree with an insect net as soon as fruit sets Make sure it’s fine insect mesh –available from gardening or hardware stores or online

• Tie it around the trunk – and no gaps; and

• Remove any fruit up against the net

Protect your beautiful fruit from Queensland fruit fly 

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Queensland fruit fly is a pest, protect your beautiful produce by following these few tips.

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• Remove fruit trees that you don't want or need

• Prune trees to keep them manageable

• Cover you trees with insect nets while the fruit is still small

• Use fruit fly traps to reduce numbers

• Pick fruit early and thin out trees

• Remove any leftovers and dispose of properly.

Consider how many fruit trees you actually need

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If you have fruit trees in your garden that are prone to fruit fly attack, or if you have multiples of the same variety, extremely large trees, trees you can’t physically manage or trees you just no longer want, consider removing the tree altogether.

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With fruit fly so wide spread in our region it is important to only grow enough fruit for you to use. Unfortunately the lovely tradition of sharing fruit around with family and friends can just help spread fruit flies.

Keeping your garden clean and tidy 

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Keeping your garden clean and tidy helps to break the life cycle of the Queensland Fruit Fly.

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• Remove fruit trees that you don't want or need

• Prune trees to keep them manageable

• Cover you trees with insect nets while the fruit is still small

• Use fruit fly traps to reduce numbers

• Pick fruit early and thin out trees

• Remove any leftovers and dispose of properly.

The best defence against Queensland fruit fly is an insect net

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Creating a physical barrier between flies and your fruit with a fine meshed net is simplest way of growing clean fruit. Follow these tips to ensure success:

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• Purchase fine mesh insect nets from gardening or hardware stores

• Prune your fruit trees to less than 2m

• Cover the whole tree with a net as soon as fruit sets

• Tie it around the trunk with no gaps

• Thin fruit if needed and remove any fruit up against the net

• After harvest, repair any holes, move to a late-season tree or pack away for next season

Traps and lures

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Queensland fruit fly traps and lures are designed to attract and subsequently kill fruit flies making them a great tool to manage fruit fly in your garden.

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Traps and lures can help keep numbers down, but they won’t entirely stop fruit flies damaging your fruit and they need to be used in conjunction with other control methods.

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There are a number of different commercially available brands and designs of traps and lures. Or you can also make your own, really easily with things you already have around the house.

Bait spray in large gardens

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If you have a big garden say 10 or more trees, an option that can be used in conjunction with other control methods is to apply a weekly bait spray which will help to lower the fruit fly population.

Bait sprays for Queensland fruit fly contains a food attractant which is a protein and an insecticide.

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Always follow the directions on the label and make a fresh mix for each weekly spray as the spray may go off in the container.

There are organic bait spray options available.

 

Contact your local agriculture supplier for information on bait spraying 

Planning your veggie garden

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Plant vegetables in your garden that are not host fruits for Queensland fruit fly and will help avoid attracting flies to your garden.

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• Roots and bulbs e.g. beetroot, carrot, or potato

• Leafy greens, stems, and pods e.g. lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, or asian vegetables.

• Herbs and spices e.g. rosemary, mint, basil, or parsley

• Tough skin e.g.  Pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, or corn

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If you still want to grow fruiting vegetables in your garden that are prone to fruit fly such as tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, and eggplants consider using an exclusion net. Consider the timing of applying nets to allow access to beneficial insects such as bees to pollinate the garden.

Queensland fruit fly 101

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Andrew Jessup, a renowned entomologist who has been studying fruit flies for over 30 years sits down with the Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area to discuss the behaviour of Queensland Fruit Flies.