Fly-Bye™ - Control for QLD Fruit Fly

The proven control system involves plastic traps which are utilised at a rate of four traps per hectare. The traps are charged with a unique blend of native oils which are irresistible to the male of the species. When the male has been taken out of the equation both the breeding process and associated egg-laying fruit damage are seriously reduced.

Fly Bye™ shone brightly in the NSW trials required for registration.

When NTS were first presented with the completed formulation we placed a trap on a gum tree in our industrial estate. The following morning the trap contained numerous male fruit flys. There are no fruit or vegetable crops anywhere near the estate, so it was almost as if they had materialised out of thin air.

Some of our initial trials involved tomato crops at the NTS research farm. The trays were employed prior to planting the crop and maintained throughout the crop cycle. Queensland Fruit Fly is a major pest with this crop, but the trapping of hundreds of male fruit flies with the Fly Bye™ strategy ensured a problem-free crop..

A North Queensland passionfruit grower who has used this formulation for the past season reports excellent results as do growers producing a wide variety of crops affected by this insidious pest.

QLD Fruit Fly

Affects a large range of fruits ranging from apples, avocados and citrus to pawpaw, peaches and tomatoes. The pest becomes more active during warm, humid conditions when the female stings the fruit, deposits her eggs and the larvae feed in the fruit. Large numbers of flies can be expected after good falls of summer rain. Lure traps containing an attractant and chemical pesticide have been a common strategy to determine the need for chemical sprays. The Fly Bye™ strategy involves a proactive approach where the traps are positioned and serviced prior to the pressure periods. The aim here is to disrupt the breeding process to the extent that chemical intervention is avoided. This can definitely be achieved and it is a consumer-friendly viable alternative to systemic insecticides and the health implications linked to these poisons.