He said Naturalure was an excellent option to control the pest and had many advantages over other fruit fly products including timing and application.
“Some fruit fly options need to be checked every three days. No one’s got time for that. Naturalure can be applied every seven to ten days on a rotational basis.”
“What Corteva recommend is applying it to every second row, and then going back seven to 10 days later, and applying to the next row over because it could still be working in that area you treated before."
“Naturalure fruit fly bait concentrate is a fully formulated product. It contains humectants which keep the product active, even in warm conditions. It is also organically certified so it can be used in organic production.”
“Naturalure is attractive to fruit flies. The females are looking for a protein source. They're attracted to the bait on the leaf and when they digest the bait, it works quite quickly. It also attracts the males.
He said Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly are attracted to the bait source quickly.
“When you start on a rotation with Naturalure, you do have that peace of mind that you've got the vineyard or the orchard protected. It then becomes a maintenance role of applying it once a week to maintain that level of protection through the vineyard or orchard.”
Heavy rainfall or irrigation can wash Naturalure off the leaves so this should be taken into consideration when looking at timing.
“Naturalure can also be applied as a boundary spray,” Mr Brown said. “If you're bordering on urban areas or there's other vineyards or orchards, applying a boundary spray can also provide extra protection.”
The insecticide should be applied as a band or a series of spots on the lower sections of the crop.
Mr Brown emphasized the importance of applying the formulation with water only, without any other additives.
