Ross Abberfield was guest speaker on Monday 31st July.

Ross was introduced by chairman Frank Malcolm.

Ross is the Goulburn Valley Regional Fruit Fly Coordinator in the Moira, Campaspe, Greater Shepparton, Strathbogie and Berrigan Shires.

Ross was born in Nathalia, joined the Victorian Police retiring in 2011 after 35 years.

Fruit Fly problem became worse with closure of quarantine stations.

Fruit fly is the worlds greatest threat to horticulture.

Australia produces $9B horticultural products a year exporting $4B, with Victoria producing $2.4B of the export market. Costing industry $300M to try and manage.

Sunraysia was pest free, now has had 100 outbreaks.

Victorian Government  funding a $6.7M integrated management effort in Sunraysia, Goulburn-Murray and Yarra Valley districts.

Growers spray trees with commercial applications.

Town growers not inclined to spray fruit trees in backyard. Advice is, if unwilling to manage, remove trees. If choose to manage need to pick, prune, protect. Pick early, prune trees to a manageable size and protect with fruit traps. Fruit traps not the answer as they only tell you that you have fruit fly. To stop flies protect trees with a fine mesh cover and harvest fruit in the middle of the day when the fly is not active. If fruit falls to ground get rid of.

Adult flies are about 7mm long and reddish-brown in colour. Most people discover fruit fly when they cut open their fruit and find it infested with creamy-white maggots.

Female fruit fly has capacity to lay 1000 eggs. The eggs are injected into the fruit and the larvae develop in the fruit leaving the fruit to pupate in soil.

Requires a community effort, not an individual effort to combat the menace.