Queensland
Fruit Fly

These Natives Aren’t Friendly!
The Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni) is a native of the Australian bush and a serious insect pest which attacks a wide range of fruits and vegetables such as peaches, plums, tomatoes, capsicums and citrus to name a few.

The Queensland Fruit Fly is wasp-like in appearance and about 7 mm long; reddish brown with distinct yellow oval markings.

The female fly lays eggs in maturing and ripe fruit with the larvae burrowing inside the fruit and destroying it. Fallen fruit generally contain fruit fly larvae which burrow into the ground and emerge as adult fruit flies. It is vital that fallen fruit should be collected and destroyed.

Fruit tree owners are responsible for ensuring fruit fly is controlled on their properties and failure to control Queensland Fruit Fly can lead to prosecution under the Plant Diseases Act 1924 with fines of up to $11,000.

It’s a major problem for home gardeners. However, most of us would prefer to reduce or avoid pesticide sprays on our food and in the environment. The Wild May fruit fly control system uses a special lure to trap the male Queensland Fruit Fly (including immature males), thereby interrupting the reproductive cycle without sprays.

You can make your own traps (from plastic drink bottles) or purchase traps. Four traps per hectare is recommended. Place 20mm of the liquid in the base of the trap, hang it in the garden and watch the males fly in. By maintaining your Wild May traps throughout the year, you’ll be helping to protect your fruit crops and reduce the population in your district. Tell your neighbours about Wild May. Wild May is pesticide free and BFA registered, so it’s allowable in organic systems. It can also be used for monitoring in conjunction with conventional poisons, and as part of an integrated pest management programme.

Below is an extract from the Wild  May Fruit Fly Control System brochure.
The full version is available from the store.

Wild May Fruit Fly Control System

• Eliminates the use of Pesticides

• Non Toxic Killing System

• Cost Effective and Easy to use

• Does not effect other beneficial insects

• Can be used by organic farmers

• Can be tested in conjunction with conventional methods.

• Wild May Essential Oils P/L is Fully Australian Owned and Operated

Introduction.
Our field research has shown that little is known by the Australian public about one of the most devastating pests known to Australian agriculture - The Fruit Fly. We hope that this brochure will give you knowledge and understanding of this pest. Fruit Flies are native to the Australian bush, and have been here well before the arrival of European man. There are over 12 different types of Australian native pest fruit flies, and unfortunately we have to add a few more to the list which have been introduced from overseas. One such pest is the Mediterranean Fruit Fly which was introduced to Australia from Europe in the late 1800's. This aggressive fruit fly has been known to attack over 150 types of fruit and vegetable crops. The Mango Fly was introduced in the 1970's and more recently the Asian Papayan Fruit Fly to far North Queensland. The native Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni) however is the most serious and costly horticultural insect pest of fruit and vegetable crops in Australia.

The cost to Australian agriculture in lost produce from fruit fly attack is over $100 million annually, mostly attributable to the Queensland Fruit Fly. Before the development of agriculture in Australia, fruit flies bred naturally in the bush and their numbers were kept in check by native predators. With the development of large mono-culture crops, we have supplied the fruit fly with perfect breeding grounds which has greatly increased its numbers.

How to use Wild May Fruit Fly Attractant
Many people prefer to make their own traps out of plastic drink bottles, etc. or you may purchase ours. The traps need to be placed up wind of the infected area preferably in shade. Normally when the traps are introduced a large amount of flies are caught followed by a decrease in numbers hopefully down to one or two flies per day. This is the first generation of fruit flies you have eradicated in your area. Remember that is you have fruit or vegetables in season at this time they will still be stung by the current generate of fertile females. By leaving the traps in place when the next generation of fruit fly emerges from the ground the juvenile males will be attracted to the lure and eradicated in most cases before they become sexually mature. The female needs to mate before they sting your produce and if there are no males available to mate with they will leave the area in search of male fruit flies.

We have found that during our research than continuous use of the attractant, throughout the year has dramatically reduced fruit fly strikes and in some cases has completely eliminated them. The use of male pheromone fruit fly traps has in fact been the policy adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture back in 1974 to control the outbreak of fruit fly in the Los Angles district and has been entirely successful.

We have also established than the lure effectively eliminates male juvenile fruit flies before they have reached sexual maturity.

The Philosophy
There is an ever increasing movement world wide towards natural and organic products. The 20th century has given us the industrial revolution part of which has been a chemical revolution. The use of pesticides became common throughout the world, which has enabled the development of large food crops free of insect attack. After decades of use of these chemicals it is becoming clearly evident that human health is being affected from prolonged ingestion of chemical residues left on food sprayed with pesticides. It is the aim of Wild May Essential Oils to produce products which are environmentally friendly and reduce and hopefully remove the need to be exposed these pesticides.

Summary For Use

• Pour attractant into base of trap to a minimum depth of 20mm

• Place Traps upwind in shaded branch on eastern side of the tree approx 1.2 metres off the ground

• Recommended dosage is four traps per hectare

• The Attractant Fluid should be continuously maintained all year round for optimum results. DO NOT LET THE TRAPS DRY OUT

• When recharging traps remove dead flies from trap liquid, do not spill on ground as fruit flies will be attracted to it.

• Store and dispose of per label instructions

• The product is not to be used contrary to label instructions.

• Available 1, 5 and 20 litre quantities.