Help keep SA fruit fly free
Like many of our residents who have fruit producing
trees in their gardens, Chris Johnson and his sons Ted
and Seb have been busy preserving peaches, plums and
apricots that have grown on the healthy trees at their
property in Kilburn.
With many stone and citrus fruit in season or on the way,
summer is the perfect time to use and enjoy produce from
your own garden. Unfortunately, summer is also the time
to think about fruit fly.
Female fruit flies lay eggs in a wide range of fruits,
vegetables and other plants, including almonds, apples,
apricots, bananas, berries, capsicum, cherries, citrus,
grapes - table and wine, olives, pears and tomatoes.
South Australia is the only fruit fly free mainland state and
each year millions of dollars are invested into protecting
our agricultural industry from fruit fly and other plant
pests. In Australia, there are more than 80 species of
fruit fly including the native Queensland Q-fly and the
introduced Mediterranean Med-fly in Western Australia.
Fruit fly maggots, which hatch from eggs deposited in
fruit and vegetables, eat and destroy the fruit and
vegetable flesh. Fruit fly spreads when fruit and
vegetables that contain eggs or larvae are transported
into fruit fly free areas.
You can help protect South Australia from outbreaks.
If you are carrying fruit or vegetable produce when
travelling into SA or the Riverland “Eat it. Bin it.
Or declare it”. Fines and penalties apply if you don’t.
If you find maggots in fruit or vegetables, or suspect fruit
fly or other plant pests or diseases, immediately call the
Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010. For more information,
please visit
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWS • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 PAGE
GREEN
Environment
Our top beach gets
special attention
Semaphore beach will look especially lovely this summer
after generous assistance from the D Squadron, 1st
Armoured Regiment of the Australian Army, based at
RAAF Edinburgh.
The regiment, which has an annual program of supporting
local charities through fundraising and volunteering,
chose Semaphore beach as it is used by the Squadron for
training and is enjoyed by their families for recreation.
A group of almost 100 people, aged from 18 to 45, spent
a couple of hours in November combing the beach to
collect litter. A spokesperson for the group said the beach
was now “quite tidy and looking all the better for the
clean-up.” Council supported the group by providing bags
for rubbish collection and removing and disposing of the
rubbish collected on the day.
With well cared for plants and clean sand, it’s no
surprise that Semaphore beach was ranked highly in a
recent public vote for the top South Australian beaches.
Semaphore was ranked second overall in the following
categories: Best Beach, Kids and Families, Walking and
Exploring and Swimming - making it the most highly
rated metropolitan beach.
If you are planning on visiting Semaphore this summer,
please help us to retain the natural beauty of the area
by removing your rubbish - and don’t forget to Slip,
Slop, Slap!
Chris with his fruit trees in Kilburn
