AWARENESS AND PREVENTION Yarra Valley - Victoria Queensland Fruit Fly AWARENESS AND PREVENTION Yarra Valley - Victoria

Bactrocera tryoni James Niland Agriculture Victoria Queensland Fruit Fly – Bactrocera tryoni Rainforest- to farms & urban areas Destructive horticultural pest Adult flies are about 5 to 8mm in length. They are light red-brown, with distinctive yellow stripes and patches – shoulder pads Their larvae hatch in various fruit species, causing significant damage to crops Recent warm wet years has seen the pest populations survive in regions where it has not historically survived before Governments have reduced on ground support, shifting the management and response to incursion to industry Hence it is considered to be on the doorstep of the Yarra Valley Increased transportation of host fruit/veg into the region Historically, the pest population was not thought to be able to survive in our climate Climate is changing and so is the species ability to adapt to the cold Urban sprawl – more back yard hosts and increased heat retention Agriculture Victoria

Sting John Golding QDAF The female inserts her ovipositor into the fruit, laying the eggs just under the surface Host fruits pictured here include plum, capsicum, citrus and fejoia The host list is huge; cherries, berries, avocado, passionfruit, persimmons, tomatoes, quinces, stone fruit, native fruits and even rose hips!!! The sting mark alone is of commercial quality concern to producers, as is the consequence of a successful sting with larvae maturing inside the fruit QDAF

Eggs Plant Biosecurity CRC DPI NSW Egg is deposited just under the skin- into the flesh Plant Biosecurity CRC DPI NSW

Larvae AG Vic The larvae mature, and eat the flesh in a rotten state – induced by microbes involved with the larvae AG Vic

Pupae The larvae mature and “pop” out to the ground, forming a pupae Overwintering as adults Ag Vic NSW DPI

Lifecycle Length of time in each stage - degrees Ag Vc

What are the host fruits?

Commercial Implications Increased costs Damaged fruit IPM complications Loss of marketing options Increased record keeping Quality risk

When is QFF a risk? NOW – this week, this month, this year, next year….. QFF not detected in Yarra Valley YET Ripening fruit Overwintering populations – warm winters Warm, humid weather Each fruit season in years to come

Where are the risks? Importing fruit into the region Public, workforce, tourists, commercial packhouses Travelling insect Host plants Importing fruit into the region includes: Infested fruit sold and bought at retail and community markets Tourists, visitors, workers and residents Commercial packers Disposal sites where fruit is dumped Traveling insect population includes Hitchhikers Natural dispersal Where there is a host, humidity, warmth – there is a risk

What to do in the Yarra Valley? Learn Look Monitor As you are doing now, put yourself out there to learn about the threats Research on line, in books, in groups, listen to experts Look in your gardens, orchards QFF is not the only pest to watch out for Spotted Winged Drosophila is also an exotic pest to be concerned about REGIONAL COORDINATOR 0490381999 DEDJTR 136186 Agronomy consultant

What to do? Remove Protect Spagnolo Sandiegoreader Keep fruit that could be infested with QFF larvae out of the Yarra Valley Out of your property – each property manager is responsible Hard to see in the infected fruit Remove the fallen ripe fruit – break the cycle if it is there, not attract or encourage the QFF to establish The most important element we can do is design our systems right Make things easy to manage Make systems work

Remove waste Sorting fruit Inspecting for damage – disposing of waste off-farm, away from crop

Area Wide Management Synchronised efforts to control or prevent QFF Action on each property Monitoring for early detections Plan of what actions to take, who will act, and when Area Wide Management is a management based on collaboration and education and is really the only tool we have to use

What can I do if QFF arrives?? DR ABC Alert DEDJTR, Regional Coordinator, Agronomists, Farm Manager, Neighbours Identify source – remove or reduce the source Identify the spread - contain the spread Remove the infestation - attract and kill with bait sprays and specific traps Increase monitoring intensity Improve hygiene/sanitation Continue to monitor with traps and checking fruit Clean up or cull risks (more drastically than prevention stage) Consider long term options for reducing population numbers

Thinking ahead We have area freedom Cost of doing nothing is higher than the investment required to prevent the pest establishing

Acknowledgements.. State Government of Victoria, Agriculture Victoria NSW DPI and QDAF Dan Papaceck, Bugs for Bugs Jenny Ekman, AHR and Hort Innovation David Williams, DEDJTR