Whangarei Queensland fruit fly

28 January 2014 - 12.00 pm

MPI is currently responding to the detection of a single male fruit
fly in a surveillance trap 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.

The Ministry is running an extensive testing programme, examining
fruit and vegetable material collected from an area around the
location of the find and setting and examining lure traps to test for
the presence of a fruit fly population.

To date, no further fruit flies have been found.
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.

There are 83 lure traps in place in Zone A (a 200m circular zone
around the find location) and 183 traps in Zone B (a wider circular
zone extending out 1.5km from the find location).

MPI will continue to update results from trap inspections as they
come to hand. Traps from throughout the Controlled Area are being
inspected on a three day cycle.

Results from traps set in Zone B are expected this evening (Tuesday
28 Jan).

The two zones make up a Controlled Area which 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.

There are 78 properties within Zone A and 1,401 within Zone B.
The restrictions on the movement of fruit and vegetables will be in
place until MPI has sufficient evidence that there are no Queensland
fruit flies present in the area. This will entail traps being checked
until they have been clear of any fruit flies for 14 days. At this
stage the controls are likely to be in place until February 8.

All properties within the entire Controlled Area 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 examining fruit and vegetable samples
collected from within the affected area and will 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.

ends

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