Biosecurity New Zealand

Bactrocera facialis fruit fly

What’s the situation?

Our media releases have information about the discovery of the fly and what we’re doing.

20 February – situation update 1

19 February – new species of fruit fly found in Auckland

Brochure available

Download the brochure about fruit flies

Another type of fruit fly also found

Note, we’re also investigating the discovery of a Queensland fruit fly in a different Auckland suburb – Devonport.

Find out about the Queensland fruit fly found in Devonport

Call us if you see a fruit fly or larvae

If you find larvae (they look like grains of rice) in fruit, or believe you have seen a fruit fly, call 0800 80 99 66.

Background

Facialis fruit flies can harm home gardens and horticultural crops, in particular, capsicum and chillies.

The pest is difficult to catch at the border because it can arrive as eggs or tiny larvae concealed inside fruit.

General information about Bactrocera facialis fruit fly

Otara under a Controlled Area Notice

To manage the fruit fly that has been found, an area of Otara, Auckland, has been put under a Controlled Area Notice (CAN). This is effective from 19 February 2019. This restricts the movement of certain fruits and vegetables out of the Controlled Area to help prevent the spread of any fruit flies if there are more than one.

• Download the Controlled Area Notice

The CAN is a legal notice and might affect you if you live in the area.

Find out if you’re in the Controlled Area

To find out if your home or business is in the Controlled Area and which zone of the area, enter your address in this map.

https://mpi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=01bb9269c62b4fec83670d3b29c8d35d&%20?

Movement restrictions on fruits and vegetables in the Controlled Area

In summary, the restrictions on moving fruit and vegetables are:

• If you live in Zone A (refer to map):

  No whole fruit or vegetables (except leafy and root vegetables like taro, lettuce, cabbage, bok choy, rhubarb, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, kumara, celery, onions, spring onions) can be taken out of Zone A. In addition, no fruit or vegetable waste (such as fruit skins and cores/stones, peelings and the like ) or garden waste (such as prunings from fruit trees or vegetable garden cuttings) can go out of the area. The fruit or vegetables should either be disposed of in a home in-sink disposal unit or put into specially supplied Biosecurity New Zealand bins.

• If you live in Zone B (refer to map):

  You must not move homegrown fruit and vegetables out of the Controlled Area. In other words, produce grown inside the Controlled Area cannot be moved out of it. You are free to move commercially-purchased fruit and vegetables (such as fruit and vegetables bought at the supermarket) out of the area. Homegrown produce waste and garden waste needs to be disposed of in Biosecurity New Zealand bins.

If in doubt, don’t take it out.

Fruits and vegetables that are affected

All whole fruits and vegetables must meet the requirements of the Controlled Area Notice. Exceptions are:

• leafy vegetables
• root vegetables
• cooked, processed, preserved, dried, frozen, and canned fruit

We’ve prepared a brochure with information and guidance about movement controls.

Download the brochure

Information for people in the controlled area making packed lunches

If you live in the Controlled Area (refer to map) and you’re preparing lunch for work or school, you can still include fruit and vegetables, make sure it’s cut up and you can’t see any larvae in it.

If you find larvae in fruit or believe you have seen a fruit fly, call 0800 80 99 66.

Information for retailers

Host plants are those that the fruit fly feeds on. These are subject to movement controls for retailers. These include:

Chillis, Peppers, breadfruit, lemons, pummelo, mandarin, naval orange, grapefruit, Surinam cherry, chestnuts, mango, giant granadilla, avocado, Fijian longan, peach, guava, tomato, rose apple, and Singapore almonds.

What you can do

 

If you find larvae in fruit or believe you have seen a fruit fly, call 0800 80 99 66.

If you live around Otara, find out if you’re in the Controlled Area. If so, you will need to follow legal restrictions around movement of fruit and vegetables. Remember – if in doubt, don’t take it out.

• Refer to the map to see if you are in the Controlled Area

If you have any enquiries, call 0800 80 99 66.

Risk to New Zealand

Facialis fruit fly would jeopardise a horticulture industry worth $5 billion a year in domestic sales and exports.

• 80% of New Zealand’s horticulture crops are susceptible to attack by these fruit flies.
• Fruits and vegetables they attack become inedible.
• Any fruit and vegetables would be subject to trade restrictions.

 Keeping them out

To keep Facialis fruit fly out, New Zealand:

• imposes tough requirements on imported produce
• checks passengers, luggage and freight at the border
• has had a dedicated trapping programme since the 1970s.

The traps are an early-warning system, telling us if flies have arrived so we can eradicate them.