Image: PIRSA
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Residents in Adelaide’s north are about to see millions of fruit flies released into their neighbourhood, but rather than causing a new outbreak, they’re being deployed to stop one.
The State government will release around 2.7 million sterile Queensland fruit flies across Elizabeth East from next week as part of a major push to eradicate metropolitan Adelaide’s only remaining outbreak of the pest.
Beginning on September 7, a Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) vehicle will travel along fixed routes through the Elizabeth East red outbreak zone, gradually releasing sterile flies from a customised container.
The program will run for 12 weeks until November 27, with releases taking place from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm.
It uses what is known as the Sterile Insect Technique, which involves releasing large numbers of sterile male flies into an existing population.
The sterile flies can mate with wild fruit flies but cannot produce offspring, gradually reducing the number of new flies and helping break the pest’s life cycle.
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven said the release was an important part of efforts to eliminate Queensland fruit fly from metropolitan Adelaide.
“The Sterile Insect Technique is a proven, environmentally friendly method that helps drive down fruit fly populations by ensuring that mating between these pest insects does not result in offspring,” Minister Scriven said.
The Elizabeth East outbreak was declared on January 16 after five adult Queensland fruit flies were detected in monitoring traps across a two-week period.
Since then, PIRSA teams have continued surveillance and eradication work throughout the affected area.
Fruit fly activity naturally slows during the colder months, but monitoring has continued throughout winter and restrictions remain in place around the movement of fruit and vegetables grown within the red outbreak zone.
PIRSA Fruit Fly Response General Manager Jason Size said flooding the area with sterile flies reduced the likelihood of wild females successfully reproducing.
“The sterile flies released by PIRSA can mate with wild fruit flies, but they cannot produce offspring,” Mr Size said.
“This means the next generation of fruit flies is fewer in number, helping us move closer to eradication.”
The technique has already been used successfully in South Australia, contributing to the eradication of previous fruit fly outbreaks at Glynde and Salisbury North in 2025.
For information about current outbreak zones, restrictions and how South Australians can help prevent fruit fly outbreaks, visit fruitfly.sa.gov.au or call the Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010.
