Queensland Fruit Flies have been found in Broken Hill, and the challenge for travellers is to not bring the destructive pest back into the Western Plains.

Dr Salman Quddus from Local Land Services said the fact that the fruit fly is not currently found in our region is no reason to be complacent.

“At the moment, the big issue with fruit flies is in the Broken Hill area towards the Menindee side,” Dr Quddus said.

The Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni) is a significant pest in horticultural regions, including far western NSW.

It can cause substantial damage to a wide range of fruit and vegetable crops, leading to economic losses for growers.

Even hobby gardeners are at risk, Dr Quddus said.

“There is a potential problem for other areas that comes from people who have one or two fruit trees in their back yard in places such as Broken Hill,” he said.

“If no one is monitoring the tree, and don’t see the pest they are unlikely to break the life cycle of the fruit fly, and it will just keep going.”

Dr Quddus (Image credit: Charles Darwin University)

Because of this, Dr Quddus advised against bringing home-grown fruit from Broken Hill, or any other infected area, back to local regions.

“It’s really not a good idea,” he said. “Fruit from supermarkets has all the precautions taken before it's sold and shouldn’t have issues with fruit flies, but if you carry fruit from someone’s backyard, that has the potential to harbour fruit fly and transfer them to another area.”

The LLS advise that effective management of fruit fly is crucial year-round, including during winter, when the flies are less active but still present.

While the winter months may seem like a quiet period for QFF management, they are crucial for laying the groundwork for effective control.

The LLS suggests some key strategies for managing Queensland Fruit Fly during the winter months in Western NSW. These include monitoring and trapping, having good hygiene and sanitation, looking after pruning and tree maintenance, having community cooperation and preparing your garden for spring.

Dr Quddus said LLS was planning a series of awareness workshops with dates and locations still to be announced. He also said there were plans to establish at least three trapping sites in Broken Hill to get data on the pest’s activities.

The bottom line is by maintaining vigilance, practicing good orchard hygiene, and preparing for the upcoming growing season, growers in Western NSW can better protect their crops and reduce the impact of this pest.

And if you pick some delicious fruit from a backyard tree in the Broken Hill or far west area, please inspect carefully and eat it before you leave town!