QFF Regional Coordinator for Yarra Valley, Bronwyn Koll talks about how to Prevent QFF

Details: 01 March 2018

QFF is a real risk to your business if not properly addressed and managed. Please consider what you can do to prevent QFF in your Yarra Valley business. Encourage an increase in vigilance on property hygiene and biosecurity, monitoring with traps, increased fruit inspections, and bait spraying - in case the unknown risk is greater than the current PFPP - DEDJTR traps indicate.

Hygiene and Biosecurity include:

timely harvest of all fruit – including commercial crops, garden hosts and other fruiting hosts in/on/around the property – even check the neighbours and the risks bordering the property e.g. roadsides.
satisfactory disposal of all collected waste fruit that ensures no larval survival (if by chance QFF are present). Including packhouse waste. e.g. cold storage (2 weeks is the minimum for apples), freezing, boiling, solarising, deep burial below 1m with compacted soil, investigate maceration and desiccation options, stock feed.
removal or destruction of fallen fruit and fruit left after the main harvest (e.g. destroy normal uninfested fruit in the paddock with sweepers, mulchers and rollers etc)

ensuring no fruit from unknown or unreliable sources is bought onto the property - this includes:

-commercial fruit

-labourer’s and tourist’s lunches (perhaps a central lunch spot with contained rubbish facilities to prevent fruit waste thrown into the production area) etc

-domestic fruit purchases made by people living on the property

Increased inspection of fruit approaching harvest is a must.

If using bait and QFF traps, growers are encouraged to seek the professional advice of their agronomist.

The knowledge of the actions taken area wide, and the evidence of our preventative and corrective actions are required for the option of applying to use sterile insect technology in the future. We need to gather evidence of six weeks of corrective actions taken for this to even be on the table as an option.

There are also some great videos – check them out – please share! There is great info in the Fruit Fly guide booklet attached.

Controlling Queensland Fruit Fly, Applied Horticultural Research – HIA vegetables

video 1 Targeted Control https://youtu.be/HQgvrbTULTw
video 2 Monitoring https://youtu.be/APaY6hUwLz4
video 3 Food based baits https://youtu.be/sVwzz9sMrTA
video 4 MAT Blocks https://youtu.be/YsdNlodhJiQ
video 5 Netting, repellents and field hygiene https://youtu.be/hzZYhH5CC0Y

RESOURCE: Fruit Fly Guide Booklet available for download