Queensland fruit flies have descended upon Griffith, as the mild and humid weather attracts them and creates a perfect breeding ground.
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The La Nina summer is poised to bring fruit flies in record numbers, potentially devastating the region's citrus industry and farms.
Vito Mancini, the chair of the Griffith and District Citrus Growers Association, said that they'd never seen fruit flies in this number before.
"It's unprecedented levels in our trapping systems. We've never seen such numbers and the climate has never been this conducive for them. Having the wet spring and mild weather, it's perfect," he said.
"It's going to be a tough battle over the next two months."
Mr Mancini forecasted the fruit fly infestation in September, but the weather has become even more ideal for the Queensland fruit fly. The La Nina event bringing more rainfall means that the growth of the fruit fly could escalate to unmanageable levels.
"The worst is yet to come - One female in 35 days can give birth to another 500. That exponential growth means if there were 1000 flies at the end of winter, that's half a million flies now. If we don't do anything, there could be a billion by the end of January," Mr Mancini said.
He had some crucial tips for gardeners and farmers on how to help get on top of flies, but emphasised that it would have to be a community effort.
"We're just calling our community to do the right thing,"
"If you have fruit or vegetables that you don't intend on using, just remove them. Dispose of them as much as you can. Pull the trees out, pull the vegies out ... On farms, including wineries, it's very important to have an active monitoring grid and bait according to that. Most people should be baiting weekly at the moment."
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He added that while it might seem counter-intuitive, it was best to lay any bait away from the fruit trees and create a perimeter protecting them. Mr Mancini explained that the fruit flies targeted fruit for breeding and egg-laying, but not for food. As the bait is a food source, there isn't a need to draw any flies closer to the fruit trees.
While the fruit flies search for food and conditions to breed, responsible planting and harvesting can prevent them from wreaking havoc across the region.
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