You can find a wide variety of insects in your garden at home. This includes beneficial species that improve the local ecosystem as well as pests that destroy vegetation and negatively impact other species. Fruit flies are among one of the worst pests for the home gardener as well as for large scale fruit producers. Fruit flies can turn entire yields of fruit and vegetables into a soft, mushy, inedible mess.
There are two main species of fruit flies within Australia – the Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni), a native species which can be found in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), which is an introduced species found only in Western Australia. There are strict controls to prevent the latter from spreading to the other states.
The Impact of Fruit Flies
Most kinds of soft skinned fruits and some harder skinned ones are susceptible to being attacked and damaged by fruit flies. This includes berries, summer fruit, mangoes, citrus, apples, pears, loquats, grapes, olives, persimmons, tomatoes, capsicum and eggplant. The adult female fruit fly lays eggs in the flesh of both ripening and ripe fruits and vegetables. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae(maggots) begin to feed on the fruit from the inside out, causing it to rot and drop to the ground.
A large proportion of Australia’s $9 billion horticultural production industry is susceptible to attack by fruit flies. Commercial producers around Australia collective spend hundreds of millions of dollars on control measures. However, production losses are sometimes inevitable. In severe cases, fruit fly maggots are found in a large proportion of a crop or even in every single harvested fruit, rendering the entire harvest worthless.
Fruit Flies at Home
Unlike commercial growers, the home gardener has the option of cutting away the affected parts of the fruit they grow. But an infestation is still incredibly inconvenient when you’ve put so much effort into growing and harvesting your own produce. Suffering heavy losses to fruit fly damage can be disappointing when it occurs and limits the quantity and quality of fruit and vegetables you can enjoy at home or share with family and friends.
The presence of fruit flies in your area limits the variety of crops you can grow in your garden without using fruit fly control methods. While control methods aren’t too expensive, they do take time, effort and commitment throughout the year. Trying out different control methods for fruit flies can also be frustrating and inconvenient, especially if it doesn’t work.
Get Rid of Fruit Flies With Pest Control Services in Queensland
If you have an infestation of fruit flies in your house, the best thing to do is call a professional pest control company. We have the latest tools and technology including fruit fly baits and will ensure the pests are exterminated. Critters Pest Management provide pest control services in Brisbane, Redland Bay, Ipswich and Logan. We use the latest tools and treatments to quickly eliminate ants and other pests from your home or business. Our range of services include getting rid of fruit flies as well as termite inspections, termite treatments and termite barriers.
Call our friendly professionals today on 1300 186 255 to make a booking or contact us online.