Fruit fly threat - help prevent an outbreak (Media Release: 28th March 2013)

Queensland Fruit Fly - Host Check List (PDF 1.1 MB )

Fruit flies are the world's worst fruit pest. They destroy fruit and vegetables - both commercial crops and those grown in home gardens. 

The horticultural product of South Australia which is vulnerable to fruit fly infestation is currently worth $250 million annually. 

To keep South Australia free of fruit fly, PIRSA has quarantine restrictions on the movement of fruit and vegetables into the state - both produce carried by travellers and on commercially imported produce.

It is important that quarantine restrictions on movement of fruit and vegetables are strictly observed as outbreaks of fruit fly only occur if maggot-infested fruit is brought into the state.

View a short video on the Biosecurity SA fruit fly program

What we are doing to prevent fruit fly entering South Australia

South Australia's front line fruit fly protection is provided by roadblocks that have been in operation for 50 years. More than 600 000 vehicles pass through these quarantine stations each year. Quarantine Inspectors are based at Ceduna, Oodla Wirra, Pinnaroo and Yamba. Honesty bins are located on other Highway entry points into the state. In addition, random mobile roadblocks operate throughout the state.

Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) Detector Dogs operate at the Adelaide Airport and quarantine bins are strategically located on the terminals at the Great Southern Rail Terminal. Persons detected carrying fruit and vegetables past these points can be fined under the Plant Health Act 2009. Additionally PIRSA maintains a statewide permanent surveillance trapping grid. Each week Inspectors check traps at over 3800 locations. The trapping grid provides an early warning system in the overall prevention program.

What you can do to keep South Australia fruit fly free

• Don't bring fruit and vegetables into South Australia.
• Manage your fruit trees properly. Prune your trees and maintain a pest and disease control program. Remove all unwanted fruit trees.
• Pick all fruit as it ripens. Don't leave any ripe fruit on the tree or lying on the ground.
• Destroy unwanted fruit by boiling it or securing it inside a sealed plastic bag. Leave the bag in the sun for three days and then discard with the household garbage.
• Don't place unwanted fruit in your compost bin.

Call the Fruit Fly Hotline 1300 666 010 if you:

• find maggots in fruit or vegetables; or
• you suspect fruit fly or other plant pests or diseases.

People planning to visit fruit-growing regions along the River Murray in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales known as the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone (FFEZ) (PDF) are urged to observe restrictions on the transport of fresh fruit and vegetables into the zone and not bring fruit with them.

What we are doing to control and eradicate fruit fly

Biosecurity SA uses the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against outbreaks of  fruit fly. This form of integrated pest management involves the release of large numbers of sterilised insects into the environment to mate with wild insects of the same species. Any eggs laid are infertile, eventually eradicating the fruit fly population.

The National Fruit Fly Strategy and Priorities (NFFSP) Project

Biosecurity SA Plant Health is involved with the NFFSP Project  (external site) which aims to develop a national approach to fruit fly management.

More information

You can find more information about the life cycle of fruit fly, how disease outbreaks can be detected and eradicated and what is being done to prevent outbreaks in South Australia in the attached Fact Sheet (HTML) OR Fact Sheet (PDF 667.6 KB ).

Images of the Mediterranean fruit fly and the Queensland fruit fly to help with fruit fly identification can be viewed here.

The Tri-State Fruit Fly Program website (external site) has news, information for travellers and information for gardeners with advice on what should be done to help prevent fruit fly.

Citrus Australia Ltd (external site), established in 1948 as the national peak body of the Australian citrus growing industry, gives advice and seasonal updates about managing fruit fly.

The Victorian Department of Primary Industries (external site) and Department of Primary Industries New South Wales (external site) also have information about fruit fly.

Posters

Biosecurity SA Plant Health have several posters available for display or for colouring. You can download copies or contact us and ask for a copy to be sent to you.

• Keep South Australia Fruit Fly Free (PDF 154.4 KB )
• Bait Spotting Program (PDF 187.6 KB )
• Bookmark (PDF 419.3 KB )
• Sterile Fruit Fly Release Program (PDF 168.3 KB )

Posters for colouring in

• Stop the Border Bandit (PDF 126.8 KB )
• Become a Fruit Fly Fighter (PDF 94.2 KB )

Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area

What is the Pest Free Area?

The Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area is a new zone located within the existing Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone (FFEZ). It is renowned for the production of high value horticultural crops including citrus, table grapes and stone fruit. The Pest Free Area (PFA) is aligned to this production area to provide greater fruit fly control measures.

The Victorian and New South Wales Departments of Primary Industries (DPI) have introduced stringent legislative controls on the movement of host fruit and vegetables into the PFA to keep it free from the devastating pest, Queensland fruit fly. These strict controls on the movement of host fruit and vegetables have been introduced to maintain highly valuable interstate and overseas markets worth millions of dollars to ensure the area is free from fruit fly.

A detection of fruit fly within the PFA can result in the loss of lucrative export markets and the introduction of expensive control programs which affect the local fruit and vegetable industries and our communities.