Setting baits for fruit flies has been more effective than expected
These are star shaped in cross section and are crisp and juicy and perhaps a little like a nashi pear.
What is the exciting thing though, is not the fruit but the fact that they are fruit fly free. Fruit flies love them. Last year we had to cut the grubs out of most fruits then boil the offending parts to kill the larvae before putting them into the compost. This meant that there were only really bits and pieces to eat – so we stewed them.
This year I went on a campaign to cut the fruit fly population so that we could get tomatoes and other fruits.
I set out bait traps at the rate of four to the hectare (I guess that is about 1 per acre) and set them on the east side of the chosen tree and about 4 feet from the ground.
Fantastic result, the traps were full of flies and the fruit were not.
I used plastic peanut butter jars as the traps because they have a yellow lid, which attracts the insects. Inside I used liquid organic (purchased) bait - worth every penny.
I am even eating the little red guavas from a tree that is usually fruit fly hotel: not one fruit has been stung.
Because so much fruit has been grown commercially in the district and so mach spray has been used the fruit fly seems to have grown to plague proportions so much so that I thought we would never win by refusing to use the commercial poisons.
