Two new Queensland fruit fly outbreaks have been declared in Bookpurnong B and New Residence B, and the total number of outbreaks since December 2020 is now 50.
It is important to note that 22 of these declared outbreaks have not had a detection in more than 12 weeks – and some of these have not had a detection for over a year. New extensions to existing outbreak areas include Barmera, Berri A, Bookpurnong B, and Renmark West B.
Con Poulos, Fruit Fly Response Incident Controller for the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA), said that despite two new outbreaks, the current detection trends were positive.
"The Riverland community has helped us immensely with detecting flies and reporting maggots in fruit. This means we can strike with the right tools at the right time," said Mr Poulos.
"It's comforting to see no detections in 22 outbreak areas for the last 3 months, but we still have to stay vigilant. This is how we will eventually start to make our way out of the outbreak restrictions."
If you notice or suspect anything on your property, please call our Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010 so that PIRSA can take measures to treat any hotspot areas.
Sterile fruit flies (SIT) are being released from 19 February until 31 March at Swan Reach, Cadell, Sunlands, Qualco, Taylorville, Holder and Monash North.
To make the SIT release more effective, PIRSA teams have applied bait in Swan Reach, Cadell, Sunlands, and Monash North for some weeks.
SIT releases from 8 January at Kingston on Murray, New Residence, Pyap, and Waikerie were completed on 18 February. SIT release locations change every 6 weeks; Riverlanders can check Sterile insect technique to keep up to date on potential activity in their area.
See Outbreak restrictions to learn more about reducing the risk of outbreaks.
New outbreak areas
| Outbreak area | Discovered | Declaration date |
|---|---|---|
| Bookpurnong B | 5 male flies discovered in monitoring traps | 15 February 2024 |
| New Residence B | Maggots discovered in a grapefruit | 16 February 2024 |
New extensions to existing outbreak areas include:
- Barmera
- Berri A
- Bookpurnong B
- Renmark West B.
Outbreak area boundary extensions also affect yellow suspension area boundaries.
Search your address on the interactive outbreak map to see how fruit and vegetable movement restrictions affect you, depending where you live, travel, work or go to school, and learn what you need to do within the 1.5 kilometre red outbreak area and 15 kilometre yellow suspension areas.
Total outbreak breakdown
| Outbreak area | This fortnight | Previous fortnight |
|---|---|---|
| Outbreak areas with no detections for more than 12 weeks | 22 | 25 |
| Outbreak areas with detections during the last 12 weeks | 28 | 23 |
| TOTAL OUTBREAKS | 50 | 48 |
The end date for all outbreaks is currently 15 May 2024, but may change if more fruit flies are detected.
The outbreak end date depends on no fruit flies being detected in red outbreak or yellow suspension areas for at least 12 weeks.
Fruit fly eradication activities and restrictions on fruit movement in the Riverland will likely need to continue beyond the outbreak end date due to the complexity of the Riverland outbreaks, and to ensure area freedom requirements are met.
Please see Outbreaks explained for more information.
Feeling overwhelmed?
If you feel overwhelmed about this situation, our Family and Business (FaB) mentors can help. FaB mentors are local Riverlanders who can support you through this challenging time. You can have a free, informal, confidential and independent conversation with them in person or by phone:
- Robyn Cain 0411 633 085
- John Chase 0419 848 672
- Brent Fletcher 0439 409 430.
For more information about fruit fly, self-baiting, or the latest outbreak advice, go to fruitfly.sa.gov.au or call the Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010.
