The little winged insect packs a serious punch in its ability to harm the local fruit and vegetable industry, so communities of growers (commercial and backyard) across the state are galvanising against it on many united fronts.
The Organic Regenerative Investment Co-operative are taking leadership and are hosting a free educational workshop specifically aimed at those growing organically to educate and harness skills to manage fruit fly.
ORICoop founding director Carolyn Suggate said the organics industry had specific limitations in its growing approach.
“It can’t simply apply synthetic pesticides, so it’s critical growers are informed of all their options and potential solutions in order to combat fruit fly,” she said.
“Those of us who are growing food in our backyard are often doing so in order to avoid synthetic sprays so are in the same boat as the commercial growers, and we wanted to offer a workshop which informs this group of growers too.
“This fast-paced and interactive workshop will bring together a wide range of speakers with significant knowledge about ways to detect and manage this pest.
“It really is the responsibility of everyone who grows food to become informed about their role in mitigating the problem.”
The workshop is free and is being hosted centrally in Seymour so it can be accessed by as many people as possible.
It is on October 27 from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Blue Tongue Berries, Seymour.
Tickets are available by visiting eventbrite.com.au and searching 'Organic Fruit Fly Management Workshop'.