Tips and News
What to do about Queensland Fruit Fly
The final Q&A segment of our club meetings is usually both highly diverting and educational. This is where you can find answers to your gardening questions by drawing on the knowledge bank of our members. Last month a question about fruit fly in citrus led to a very informed response by Barbara Khalifa. The interest was so strong that one of our members has provided a written report describing the lifecycle of the Queensland fruit fly, providing some solutions to interrupt their life cycle and suggesting what to do with affected fruit.
One of our members writes, “Queensland Fruit Fly are very frustrating pests. Originating in Australian rainforests, they are on the increase with mild seasons and now plenty of moisture too. In this area we tend to think of them as summer pests, but more of us are finding Queensland Fruit Fly in our winter citrus crops too.
Managing Queensland Fruit Fly requires a multi-prong approach – no single ‘silver bullet’ will do it. Understanding their lifecycle helps us work out how best to reduce their impact”.