News

More fruit fly traps on the way for Robinvale, Euston, Boundary Bend

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 04:21:00

Households in the Robinvale, Euston and Boundary Bend areas are again being asked to do their bit in a massive effort against fruit fly when volunteers deliver fruit fly traps for a second time from this weekend.

The biggest fruit fly trapping exercise ever undertaken in Australia is aimed at breaking the life-cycle of Queensland Fruit Fly in the region, to protect horticultural industries from the costly pest.
The Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area Committee is co-ordinating the preparation of fruit fly kits and CFA volunteers from Robinvale and Boundary Bend are distributing the 1296 kits to households from this weekend, as a fundraiser.
The GSPFA chair Paul Grigg said every household could play a part in helping protect the industries that drive the local economy.
“We have had large numbers of fruit fly outbreaks across the Greater Sunraysia area in the past two years and what that means for our fruit industries is costly add-on treatments and market access difficulties,” Mr Grigg said.
“The traps lure in the fruit fly and directly impact on their numbers as well as reducing their opportunities for breeding,” he said.
“We aim to have these traps hanging in every residential garden in urban areas in Robinvale, Euston and Boundary Bend throughout the period when fruit flies are most active.
“We have had fantastic co-operation so far and we are confident we’re making a big impact.”
The traps use a gell which has a limited life span.  Mr Grigg said the traps were now due for replacing to ensure strong coverage continued during the summer, when flies continued to be highly-active. 
“People were fantastic in getting the traps out quickly into their gardens when we delivered the first round in early spring,” he said.
“We hope they’ll continue to help us this time by again getting the traps up straight away.”
Traps that still contain active gell may be left hanging in the garden, but non-active traps can be disposed of by placing in the bin.
The Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area includes the horticultural areas from Mildura and Wentworth to Kerang.  The Pest Free Area Committee collects and administers levies applied to citrus, stone fruit and table grapes to fund services aimed at reinstating and maintaining the Pest Free Area.
Residents who have questions or wish to report a fruit fly incursion should contact the GSPFAIDC on email: idc@greatersunraysiapfa.com.au.