The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is continuing its campaign to combat Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) in Coolbellup and surrounding areas.
The Quarantine Area Notice (QAN), which has been in place since 8 January 2021, has been renewed to support additional baiting and surveillance work, after a single male Qfly was trapped in the area at the end of February.There are no changes to the current quarantine restrictions, which prohibit the movement of home-grown and store bought fruit and some fruiting vegetable from the Quarantine Area, and requirements to pick and treat ripe and ripening fruit.
This includes citrus, bananas, stone fruit, olives, tomatoes, avocados, mangoes, passionfruit, tomatoes, capsicum and chillies.
A second 200 metre Outbreak Zone has been established around the new detection and residents in this area will be contacted by DPIRD about what action needs to be taken.
Surveillance visits and baiting will also continue for all residents located in both Outbreak Zones for the next six weeks.
Qfly is a damaging pest, which, if it became established in Western Australia, could severely impact the State’s horticultural industries, growers’ businesses and access to markets for fruit and fruiting vegetables.
Department Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer Sonya Broughton said the eradication campaign was progressing well.
“So far we have visited 292 properties, of which 167 properties have host fruit and they are being baited as part of the Qfly campaign,” Dr Broughton said.
“We thank the community for their ongoing support of the Qfly surveillance and baiting campaign and following the movement restrictions.
“It is critically important to manage Qfly host fruit and fruiting vegetables within the Quarantine Area appropriately so that there is no suitable fruit available for Qfly females to lay their eggs in.”
Under the QAN, ripe and ripening host fruit must be removed and picked up from the ground on each property every three days.
Host fruit must be disposed of by eating, cooking, freezing for at least 24 hours or solarising in a sealed heavy-duty black plastic bag placed in direct sunlight on a hard surface for a minimum of seven days.
The QAN has been extended until Friday 18 June 2021. A map of the updated Quarantine Area, a full list of host fruit and fruiting vegetables and more advice is available on the department’s website agric.wa.gov.au/qflyupdate
Residents and businesses can also contact the department’s Pest and Disease Information Service on 9368 3080 or padis@dpird.wa.gov.au.
Media contact: Katrina Bowers/Megan Broad, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937