Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) updates

Current Situation

A Quarantine Area has been declared in Perth’s southern suburbs to support efforts to eradicate Queensland fruit fly (Qfly), requiring residents and businesses to take action to help protect gardens and stop the spread of the pest to agricultural areas.

Qfly Host Fruit

Qfly host fruit is any fruit or vegetable that Qfly can attack and reproduce in. This includes more than 300 species including but not limited to:

• Apples
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Berries
• Capsicums
• Chillis
• Citrus (eg oranges, lemons, limes)
• Grapes
• Mangoes
• Olives
• Passionfruit
• Stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines)
• Tomatoes

Qfly can also infest some ornamental plants like clivia, lilly pilly, and Indian hawthorn

Quarantine Area

The Quarantine Area (QA) includes two zones – a corrective action zone around where the pest was first found (Red Zone) and a buffer zone of surrounding suburbs within a 15 kilometre radius of the initial detections (Orange Zone).

Under the Australia’s National Fruit Fly Management Protocol, reinstatement of pest area freedom depends on the absence of wild fruit fly adults and larvae in the Quarantine Area. The current Quarantine Area Notice is in effect until 6 April 2025. This date may be extended if Qfly continues to be detected in the area. It is important to continue adhering to all requirements of the Quarantine Area Notice, including host fruit removal, treatment and movement, until pest area freedom has been achieved and the Quarantine Area Notice has been lifted or expired.

Enter an address below to see which zone it is in

Red Zone

This the area around where Qfly has been detected. This zone is the focus of intensive efforts to eliminate the pest.

DPIRD officers are undertaking inspections, trapping and spot baiting with a registered organic control on public, private and commercial properties.

If you are a resident in the red zone

1. Remove all fruit regardless of maturity from Qfly host plants, as well as fallen fruit. We understand that removing all host fruit from your garden is a sacrifice - it is a temporary measure but a powerful one that is designed at limiting the risk to your garden in the long term.
2. Treat or eat – All home grown or store-bought host must be treated using any of these methods
   • Eat
   • Cook – eg boil or microwave until thoroughly heated
   • Freeze for at least 24 hours
   • Process – slice or dice, blend/puree, juice, make jam, pickle or relish.
   • Solarise – secure host fruit in a well-sealed or double bagged black plastic bag and place it on a hard surface in direct sunlight for at least seven days.
3. Dispose – After treating, securely bag treated host fruit waste/scraps and put into your general waste – not green waste or FOGO.

Do not share or sell home grown host fruit. Stop the spread of Qfly by not sharing host fruit or fruiting vegetables with friends or relatives. This excludes fruit that has been cooked, frozen, processed or cut into bite-sized pieces.

Trees will not need to be removed as part of DPIRD’s Qfly biosecurity response, as effective treatments are available to control the pest.

Orange Zone

The area within a 15 km radius of the initial detections is called the Orange Zone or Export Assurance Zone. This zone helps prevent the further spread of Qfly.

If you are a resident in the orange zone:

Host fruit grown in the orange zone and host plants must not move within or from the orange zone unless:

• Host fruit and fruiting vegetables have been treated by processing, cooking or freezing and securely packaged, stored and transported to prevent infestation by Qfly.
• All fruit (regardless of ripeness) has been removed from host plants prior to movement
• movement of host fruit for processing, such as (but not limited to) grapes for wine making or olives for olive oil production, please contact DPIRD for information on what is required prior to movement.

If you are a business in the orange zone:

For host fruit, which includes fruiting vegetables, and host plants bearing fruit that are grown in the orange zone and moved for commercial purposes, they can move within the orange and to the red zone so long as they meet the movement requirements for the zone.

Host fruit and host plants grown in the orange zone can only move to the green zone if meet at least one of the following conditions:

1. the fruit has been treated by processing, cooking, or freezing for a minimum of 24 hours; or
2. the Department has been notified (prior to the movement) of the fruit to be moved for processing, and the fruit is securely transported to a processing facility in accordance with measures approved by the Department’s Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer; or
3. the Department has been notified (prior to movement) of the fruit or host plants to be moved, and the fruit or host plants are treated, securely packaged, stored and transported in accordance with measures approved by the Department’s Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer; or
4. the Department has been notified (prior to the movement) of the fruit to be moved for treatment outside of the quarantine area, and the fruit is securely packaged, stored and transported in accordance with measures approved by the Department’s Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer; or
5. all fruit has been removed from the host plant prior to the movement of the plant; or
6. the fruit or host plants are moved in accordance with an authorisation given by an inspector or as directed by an inspector.