Queensland Fruit Fly Goulburn Murray Valley Outlook November 2019

Current trends in Queensland Fruit Fly populations and November outlook
Spring overview:

● Trapping data indicates that the usual spring peak in Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) numbers occurred across the Goulburn Murray Valley (GMV) in late September/ early October 2019.

● Currently about 88 per cent of the GMV’s QFF population is located in urban sites and only 12 per cent in rural locations, based on trapping data.

● Weather conditions are now suitable for QFF to mate and lay eggs.

● Over the next few weeks ripening fruit will be susceptible to QFF infestations.

● An additional 80 trap sites were set up in 2018/19 to add to the 314 traps deployed two years ago. Many of these new sites are registering high QFF numbers.

● Aerial releases of about 2 million sterile QFF per week commenced on 10 September 2019, as part of a pilot SITplus (Sterile Insect Technique) project, over a defined ‘drop-zone’ of the Cobram township.

For more information, please see attached report.