Green Harvest - Fruit Fly Control Products

Fruit Fly - Public Enemy No.1
Fruit fly products, other than the highly undesirable blanket spraying of a systemic chemical, generally are effective for either male or female flies, not both. The exception to this is the newly released Cera Trap and Eco Naturalure, which are effective for both. Products that prevent female fruitflies from laying eggs are fundamental for achieving your aim of a luscious, ripe, home grown crop. Female flies are attracted to baits based on ‘food attractants’, as female flies need protein in order to begin egg laying. Bait products are most suitable for diverse gardens with a wide range of susceptible fruits or large orchards. The easiest ‘set and forget’ method is to install exclusion products early in the season.

The products that attract male flies are based on pheromones or ‘sex attractants’. These include Qld Fruit Fly Trap and Wild May Fruit Fly Attractant. All are useful as monitoring tools, an effective ‘early warning system’ to help you recognize the start of the fruit fly season. Many gardeners will be familiar with the disappointment of only noticing fruit fly when it is too late and the fruit is stung and full of maggots. Traps for monitoring should be in place by late winter, in a position where they will be easily noticed. Many people find that by trapping large numbers of male flies, the local population of breeding fruit flies is reduced and that this helps reduce damage.

See also the Exclusion Products PestGuard Bags, Exclusion Bags, Fruit Sleeve and covers PlantGuard and Vege Net as they are excellent for protecting crops from fruit fly!

The exclusion product 'Apple Pouches' is listed with other Codling Moth products

Fruit Fly Kit Save $10.00
Includes:

1 Wild May 1L,
1 Wild May trap,
50 Large Fruit Fly Paper Exclusion Bags,
10 PestGuard Bags, and
Fruit Fly Information Sheet.

PF128

(Not suitable for WA Mediterranean Fruit Fly)

Naturalure Fruit Fly Bait
This exciting new development in Qld and Mediterranean fruit fly control has had rave reviews by the few lucky commercial growers who had access to it last year. Similar products have been in use by certified organic farmers overseas, for years. It is not a cover spray so you don't spray the whole tree with it. Instead think about it as a bait or feeding station for fruit fly. Eco-Naturalure contains a protein and sugar based bait, highly attractive to both male and female fruit flies, containing the biologically produced insecticide spinosad. It is designed not to evaporate quickly and is attractive to the fruit fly for up to a week. So instead of spraying the whole tree or using bottle style traps you spray a small amount in a small area as a 'bait station'. You mix the bait with water (7ml Eco-Naturalure to 43ml of water) and then spray either a small area on the trunk of the trees, or a small area of the garden fence (if the fence is timber and porous it can soak up the spray too quickly); or onto 2 boards (such as recycled coreflute, formica, painted timber) 1m² each placed at each end of a small garden. A bit of shade keeps the bait from drying out too quickly. Up to 71 applications are possible from 1L of product. Each application remains effective for 7 days; re-apply after rain. Regular applications throughout the fruit ripening season are essential for control. This product is suitable for diverse gardens with a wide range of susceptible fruits or large orchards or market gardeners.

Material Safety Data Sheet

More info on Eco Naturalure...

PF125

BFA Organic
PF123

BFA Organic

PF129

Qld Fruit Fly Trap
New and Improved Trap Design
Fruit Fly Traps are used to monitor Queensland fruit fly; the plastic container includes a wick impregnated with a sex attractant combined with an insecticide (malathion) that kills on contact. Male flies are attracted from up to 500m away for up to 6 months.
(Not suitable for WA Mediterranean Fruit Fly)

PF102

PF103 minimum 3 per order

Replacement Wicks for Fruit Fly Traps
PF104

PF105 minimum 5 per order

The exclusion bags together with the Wild May fruit fly attractant were just fantastic last year. We picked unblemished apples of several varieties and quinces. About 90% of the bags are reusable...
Pam from Galston NSW

Wild May Fruit Fly Attractant

BFA Organic
A pesticide-free lure for attracting and killing the male Queensland fruit fly. This product, derived from native essential oils, has been used with great success in South East Queensland to reduce the impact of fruit fly. Twenty mm of this liquid is used undiluted as a ‘wet trap’ to attract the male flies and they either drown or dehydrate. Traps must be recharged as soon as the liquid evaporates. 4 traps to a hectare is advisable.
(Not suitable for WA Mediterranean Fruit Fly)

PF110

PF111

PF112

PF113 minimum 4 per order

Cera Trap
For the attraction and mass trapping of Queensland (Qld) and Mediterranean (Med) male and female fruit fly.
With this non-toxic, long lasting, food based protein liquid solution you can for the first time “set and forget” a trap for these destructive pests in WA, VIC, QLD and NSW.
This well designed and proven product (throughout Australia, Spain, Israel and Mexico) does not require you to decide which type of fly or which sex you are catching. Just open the jar, attach the lid and hang adjacent to your susceptible crop.
You will no longer need to spray every 7 days; nor only capture the male (non fruit damaging) fly; nor use a product which poisons the fruit; nor handle pesticide infused products; nor be disappointed by your home made bait recipe; nor use what commercial growers consider to be an early warning i.e. monitoring system, not a control system in itself; nor attract pests to the trap from 500m away.

When to use hints: at least 45 days prior to fruit ripening; when fruit reaches approximately 1/3 of its final size; when fruit is small and still developing.

Where to hang hints: northern side of the plant; within the foliage or crop; 1.5m above the ground.

Quantity required hints: this is a mass trapping system; it works by using lots of traps in a consolidated area in the crop itself. The recommended trap density is based on commercial applications where the area to be protected and crop vulnerability is balanced with the goal of achieving maximum efficiency and successful control while limiting the requirement for additional treatments with other products.

Quantity required numbers: 80-120 traps/hectare, the larger the area the less number required. However, in a backyard situation, where trees maybe 5m or more apart, it is highly recommended you look at placing 1 trap per tree. If you have lower growing crops such as tomato, place traps within or as close by as possible at 1 trap per 10m lineal. If you have a net, place the traps under the net. In order for you to harvest luscious, maggot free fruit you must not skimp on the traps. One trap, regardless of the size of the garden or number of plants is very unlikely to give successful control.

Life of traps: Unopened traps can be stored in a cool place for a long time. The ingredients are activated only when the trap is opened and exposed to oxygen. Traps can be moved to other ripening crops after harvesting and are viable while there is still liquid in the trap (average 3 - 4 months).

PF130

PF132 minimum 3 per order

PF134 minimum 6 per order

The 5L Cera Trap bulk liquid can be used to re-fill the 600ml container.

PF131

Our area seems to be infested with fruit flies from late September and up to last year it had been impossible to grow unaffected large-fruiting tomatoes, even when I sowed them in July! We put the Exclusion Bags over every raceme of fruit, tying them off with the covered wires around the stem. Being enclosed like that also seemed to cause them to ripen more quickly. How pleased we were to eat unmarred Peach, Pineapple, Red Colossus and Pink Queen tomatoes for the first time from our own bushes. The bags proved waterproof and reusable several times over.
Jude Fanton, Director, The Seed Savers' Foundation

See also:
Information on organic fruit fly control...