Control strategies

Suggested fruit fly control strategies for home gardeners

Here are five suggested fruit fly control strategies to choose from. Each strategy provides a combination of control methods that you can use to effectively minimise or prevent fruit fly damage to your crop and prevent more flies breeding.

Strategy	Situation and suitability	Methods
Exclusion	Low impact, organic approach Damage-free crops produced Low to high fruit fly pressure area Near-by sources of infestations Some physical work and diligence required Small to medium crop (use netting if large crop)	Pruning Exclusion Sanitation
Cover spraying	High impact, chemical approach Little, if any damage to crops Low to high fruit fly pressure area Nearby sources of infestations Physical work and diligence required Medium to large crop	Pruning Cover spraying Sanitation
Baiting	Low to medium impact Some crop damage may occur Low fruit fly pressure area Nearby sources of infestations may compromise Physical work and diligence required Small to large crop	Pruning Trapping Baiting Cover spraying (if required*) Sanitation Early harvest
Host removal	Low impact, organic approach Low to high fruit fly pressure area Nearby sources of infestation Initial physical work required More suited to home owners	Host plant removal Alternative plants (optional) Non-preferred hosts (optional)
Prevention	Low impact, organic approach No fruit fly pressure Nearby sources of infestations a possibility Some physical work and diligence required	Pruning Sanitation Early harvest Trapping (optional)

* Spray in addition to baiting if baiting alone is not noticeably reducing fruit fly damage

Suggested fruit fly control strategies for home gardeners

You are donating to : Greennature Foundation