Whangarei Queensland fruit fly - Operations Update 2

Midday Monday 27 January 2014

This update is also at: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/queensland-fruit-fly

MPI has been responding to the detection of a single male fruit fly in a surveillance trap since last week.

The fruit fly is a significant pest of fruits and some vegetables and poses a threat to both New Zealand’s commercial growers and home fruit and vegetable gardens.

Field work continues in Whangarei today with approximately 70 personnel (from MPI and operations service provider AsureQuality).

These people are inspecting gardens and rubbish bins for any signs of fruit flies and collecting and re-setting traps to detect any flies present. They are also collecting fruit and vegetables from home gardens and also from disposal bins for analysis.

The first trapping results for Queensland fruit fly in Whangarei detected no suspect flies in all 83 traps collected from Zone A and in all 90 lure traps from outside the Controlled Area.

MPI will continue to update results from trap inspections as they come to hand. Traps from Zone A are analysed daily with results reported early evening.
Results from traps set in Zone B are expected late Tuesday 28 Jan
There are 83 traps in place in Zone A and162 traps in Zone B. There are also 27 traps in other locations outside the Controlled Area where fruit fly could potentially be found.

The Controlled Area was put in place on Thursday 23 January with the issuing of a Controlled Area Notice. This restricts the movement of fruit and some vegetables out of the specified area. Full information is above.

There are 78 properties within the Zone A circle of 200m from the initial QFF find, and 1,401 within Zone B, which extends out 1500 metres from the find.
All properties within the entire Controlled have been visited and residents provided with full information about the fruit fly. All these properties have also been inspected for the presence of fruit trees and vegetable gardens with host plants for the fruit fly.

211 wheelie disposal bins are in place at private homes and key locations throughout the Controlled Area so residents can dispose of any fruit or vegetables or produce waste. MPI is collecting these, taking some material for analysis and safely disposing of the material.

A field laboratory is in place to examine fruit and vegetable samples collected from within the affected area and to identify any suspect insects collected.
12 boundary road signs are in place marking the Controlled Area. There are a further six signs to be placed today.

MPI has staff present at the Countdown supermarket within the Controlled Area, and is handing out information leaflets and informing customers about restrictions on fruit movement out of the zone.

Staff are in continual contact with other retailers in the area to liaise and ensure that they and their customers are aware of the restrictions.

There have been no adverse trade reactions to the detection of the single fruit fly.

This find does not constitute an outbreak.
Public education

To date MPI has placed daily print advertising in key Northland news media,
There has been continual radio advertising (354 placements to date)through stations including NGAti Hine, Mai Fm, More FM, Rock, Edge, Radio Live, The Sound, Newstalk, classic hits, Coast, ZM, Flava and Radio sport
Digital advertising has been placed through sites including Metservice, TradeMe and Facebook – these also went out through the through the Google Display Network.

Short advertisements have been designed to appear whenever anyone googled key words around the QFF and Whangarei and have been put up using Search Engine Marketing Posters are in place in supermarkets and retail outlets drawing attention to the restrictions on produce movement and highlighting key fruit and veges of concern.

A preliminary brochure outlining the issue and asking public to not move fruit and vegetables was distributed to all properties in the Controlled Area. This was also handed out at supermarkets and public places such as the Town Basin and marina.

A subsequent more detailed brochure specific to Whangarei was also distributed to all properties in the area. This has been widely distributed to public through supermarkets, stores, the local Farmers’ Market.

The Controlled Area is clearly marked by road signs.

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