EDITION 40 | July/August 2023
Stuart Burgess
Manager, National Fruit Fly Council
Message from the Manager
Welcome to the special National Fruit Fly Symposium edition of our newsletter. It was exciting to finally meet face-to-face at the Symposium in Adelaide for first time post-Covid! A huge shout out to the presenters, panelists and participants both in-person and online who made the Symposium a hugely successful gathering from across the fruit fly system spectrum.
We welcomed a strong and varied mix of growers, government, regulators, scientists, industry value chain members, and extension specialists from across Australia as well as from NZ and the UK.
National Fruit Fly Symposium examines a bold fruit fly future
The fruit fly system community met face-to-face at the recent National Fruit Fly Symposium at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide, for the first time since 2018 to explore ‘The view over the horizon’. The Symposium took stock of progress against the National Fruit Fly Strategy to date and built a collective view of future opportunities. With more than 120 delegates in attendance, the two-day event provided opportunities to listen, engage and contribute to a bold fruit fly future.
Various control options for Queensland fruit fly
As spring approaches, it is important to turn our attention to fruit fly management. Early season intervention is critical to reduce the build-up of local fruit fly populations. Some of the control methods for Qfly include: cultural control, biological control, chemical control, baiting and trapping, monitoring, and integrated pest management.
Engaging with regional partners
in Victoria
The National Fruit Fly Council’s (NFFC) Stuart Burgess and Chris O’Connor caught up with a number of groups in Victoria earlier this year. They met with Agriculture Victoria, attended the Summerfruit Australia Forum in Moama, and the Yarra Valley Fruit Fly Regional Governance Group.
In science
Early and off-season biological control of Medfly with entomopathogenic nematodes: From laboratory experiments to successful field trials
Apostolos Kapranas, Anna Chronopoulou, Arne Peters, Spyros Antonatos, Ioanna Lytra, Panagiotis Milonas, Dimitrios Papachristos
Development of a cost-effective, morphology-preserving method for DNA isolation from bulk invertebrate trap catches: Tephritid fruit flies as an exemplar
Elizabeth V. Fowler, Melissa L. Starkie, Xiaocheng Zhu, Alexander M. Piper, Arati Agarwal, Lea Rako, Alexandra Gardiner, Sybilla Oczkowicz, David Gopurenko, Mark K. Schutze, Mark J. Blacket
Biology, Ecology and Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies in China: A Review
Yuxin He, Yijuan Xu, Xiao Chen
In the media
ABC Country Hour: PHA’s Sarah Corcoran speaks to Eliza Berlage
More support and focus are needed to improve domestic market access for growers. Sarah Corcoran said growers have been hit hard with the increase in protocols to manage fruit fly amid the current Queensland fruit fly outbreak. (at 49 min mark)
Historic $130M trade alliance to supercharge Aussie horticulture exports
The largest and most ambitious trade initiative in Australian horticulture has been given the green light with a host of partners signing on to an historic $130 million program, the Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA).
Family growers struggling under mounting costs for Riverland fruit fly protocols
A grower in South Australia's Riverland has warned small growers could be muscled out by large businesses that could afford to manage mounting trade protocols amid ongoing fruit fly outbreaks.
Port Augusta fruit
fly facility doubles
in size
The $3 million expansion of the National Sterile Insect Technology (SIT) facility at Port Augusta is now underway, helping to drive down fruit fly numbers in South Australia.
ABC Country Hour: Growers Jason Size and Nick Noske talks to Eliza Berlage
South Australian produce growers call for an increase to funding for an authority for a fruit fly peak body to allow a more unified approach to managing the pest. (at 6 min mark)
Broken Hill council buzzes pensioners with free fruit
fly traps
Broken Hill City Council is offering free fruit fly traps for pensioners as part of ongoing efforts to reduce fruit fly numbers in the city.
Fruit Fly ID
Fruit Fly ID: Bactrocera minax (Chinese Citrus Fruit Fly)
The Chinese citrus fly, Bactrocera minax (Enderlein) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an important insect pest of citrus species, which causes significant fruit damage in Nepal, India, Bhutan and China. Up to 70% losses through late fruit drop have been reported.
