Fruit Fly Surveillance Programme
The Fruit Fly surveillance programme was initiated in the mid 1970's to provide assurance of country freedom from economically important fruit flies, and early warning of fruit fly incursions to facilitate eradication. There are currently about 100 species of fruit flies listed as regulated organisms for New Zealand.
The absence of economically important fruit flies in New Zealand allows for fresh export produce to be certified as free of infestation and exported to areas where economically important fruit flies do not occur. It also allows for fruit fly susceptible crops to be produced in New Zealand without a need for the management of fruit fly damage, which results in savings in terms of pest management inputs.
Export of horticultural produce from New Zealand earned $2.3 billion in 2005. Over 90% of the fresh fruit and vegetable exports by value are of produce that could host fruit flies (Horticulture New Zealand, 2007).
This programme is operated and resourced by the New Zealand Government at a cost of about $1.2 million per annum. Selected members of the public provide an in-kind contribution by hosting the traps used in this programme on their properties. This programme is only one part of a series of measures put into place by MAF for the prevention and management of the risk of incursion of economically important fruit flies into New Zealand. At the border, the x-ray screening of personal effects of incoming international passengers facilitates the detection of unauthorised fresh produce movement into the country. There are also various Import Health Standards (e.g. Fresh or Frozen Fruit & Vegetables) put in place to ensure that the imported fresh produce are free of viable fruit fly and their eggs.
Traps used in the programme are Lynfield traps (Figure 1) which are baited with one of the following lures: Cuelure, Trimedlure or Methyl Eugenol. The lures attract fruit flies to the traps. A DDVP insecticide strip is also placed in the bottom of the each trap to ensure that the trapped flies are killed and retained in the traps until the traps are next inspected by a MAF approved person.
Approximately 7,500 traps are set up and maintained from September to June of each year. Traps are placed in grids, concentrating in populated areas serving as centres for tourism and/or trade, areas of significant horticultural activity and areas specified as being climatically conducive to the establishment of fruit flies (Figure 2).
Since 1989, the trapping programme has detected five incursions of fruit flies into New Zealand:
| Species | Location | Date | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Bactrocera passiflorae | Auckland | March 1990 | Increased surveillance, no further finds |
| 1 Bactrocera tryoni | Whangarei | May 1995 | Increased surveillance, no further finds |
| 2 Bactrocera tryoni | Auckland, North Shore | April 1996 | Increased surveillance, no further finds |
| 1 Bactrocera papayae | Auckland, Mt Eden | April 1996 | Increased surveillance, no further finds |
| 2 Ceratitis capitata | Auckland, Mt Roskill | May 1996 | Eradication programme. Eradication successful |
Figure 1: Close up of a Lynfield trap used in the fruit fly surveillance programme and when mounted on a citrus tree in the field.
Figure 2. Fruit fly trapping grid
How you can support the programme
The Fruit fly surveillance programme relies on property owners' in-kind contributions to the programme. Property owners host the traps, allowing access to MAF approved personnel to service and check the traps at 2-weekly intervals, and also assist by reporting back to MAF if they suspect anything that may be compromising the integrity of the traps that are located in their property.
We sincerely thank the property owners who host the traps for this programme. If you are not currently hosting traps but are approached by MAF approved personnel to host them, we hope that you are able to assist. Please note that since these traps need to be located in specific places to ensure the surveillance grids are complete, your property would have to be in a suitable location to assist with hosting.
If you find suspected maggots of fruit flies or the adult flies on fresh produce, please call 0800 80 99 66.
Page last updated: 15 April 2009