Author Topic: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?  (Read 1907 times)

Malia

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How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« on: July 19, 2021, 11:45:55 AM »
So, my first crop of Maradol papayas was infested by papaya fruit fly.
Recently I noticed a big swarm of these hijos de puta.
I googled out that you need to put a plastic bag on fruit to prevent it from infestation.

Google says it is the only way. But... if you do this, when is the right moment?
I put string bags on very small fruits. Won't they get cooked?

I really like papayas and now I started growing other cultivars from seeds from U of Hawaii seed lab and from alohaseeds.com.

What is your experience/success with battling papaya fruit fly?





roblack

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2021, 11:52:16 AM »
Pick fruit when they first start to ripen. Once they ripen up, soft spots form easily and serve as entry way for fruit flies and other pests. Get rid of fallen and over ripened fruits.

FMfruitforest

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2021, 11:56:34 AM »
They are very problematic for guava, surinam cherry, papaya and can even get into sapodilla, best option is bag the fruit you wish to eat while its green.

roblack

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2021, 12:34:42 PM »
I agree with bagging guava, but hasn't been necessary for papaya here if picked at the right time.

We usually eat papaya green here anyway.

Once they start to get good and ripe on the plant, the flies attack.

Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2021, 12:46:32 PM »
Thank you for all the replies. I did not know they are a problem for guava too. So now I need to bag my guavas too. What bag do you use? Is the regular string bag ok?
Regarding papaya: PFF attacked mine well before ripe.
Let me understand it well: you do not recommend bagging papayas so early on. don't you? My fruits have just started forming. Some have still wilted petals on.


roblack

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2021, 12:51:59 PM »
If your fruit are getting hit that early, then yes do bag select fruits.


Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2021, 01:13:35 PM »
If your fruit are getting hit that early, then yes do bag select fruits.
Thanks! It might be a silly question, but why only select fruits? I do not have very many of them...

roblack

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2021, 02:15:33 PM »
"Select" depending on quality, quantity, and height, and how much you like ripe papaya.

Mike T

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2021, 04:02:23 PM »
 A huge PFF outbreak in my area was eliminated but Qfly and native ones remain. PFF were taken down by malathian and attractrant impregnated blocks.....100s of 1000s of them

pineislander

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2021, 07:26:20 PM »
I'd love to find the pheromone attractant for the PFF. I have found far less pressure for them during the winter season when I was picking 50 pounds/week but as soon as our rainy season hit around June all fruits were infested, even small green young fruits are getting laid in and falling off.

Emirza24

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2021, 07:39:34 PM »
Pheromone Methyl Eugenol works well for me.

Rex Begonias

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2021, 08:39:56 AM »
I'd love to find the pheromone attractant for the PFF. I have found far less pressure for them during the winter season when I was picking 50 pounds/week but as soon as our rainy season hit around June all fruits were infested, even small green young fruits are getting laid in and falling off.

Same.  I was able to get some fruits in winter but otherwise all my fruits were hit.  They’ve pretty much always hit mine early when they’re green and small, so idk what people are talking about that they don’t get them when they pick early, maybe the maggots just aren’t as big yet?

I’ve found so many worms in them it’s honestly made papaya much less my favorite.

FMfruitforest

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #12 on: July 21, 2021, 12:00:52 PM »
Lara farms claims to have guava variety with thicker skin that makes it resistant to fruit fly, this may hold true for some varieties of papaya? Solo and red lady varieties have proven non resistant here.

gnappi

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2021, 05:51:02 AM »
This year Papaya have not been infested with fruit fly here but in the past, nylon mesh bags did not work. Wax paper did until the fruit outgrew the bag and the paper split, then the fruit fly got them.
Regards,

   Gary

Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2021, 06:33:49 PM »
I have not been in the forum for a few days. I wanted to share these pictures below and ask: is it possible that papayas get infested that early? The fruit has barely formed... But read your earlier posts and I have the answer. This is ridiculous.
Regarding guava: I have one from Lowes. It had the label "Pink guava" lol.
My papayas are very infested with fruit flies, guavas so far not. Maybe this is the one with thick skin?





Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2021, 06:40:09 PM »
Has any of you had any experience with Methyl Eugenol, as suggested in this thread? Please share.

pineislander

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #16 on: July 26, 2021, 08:07:08 AM »
I have not been in the forum for a few days. I wanted to share these pictures below and ask: is it possible that papayas get infested that early? The fruit has barely formed... But read your earlier posts and I have the answer. This is ridiculous.
Regarding guava: I have one from Lowes. It had the label "Pink guava" lol.
My papayas are very infested with fruit flies, guavas so far not. Maybe this is the one with thick skin?




Yes, this time of year the papaya fruit fly works on very young fruit. Be aware the pest species are different on guava vs papaya.

Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #17 on: July 26, 2021, 05:06:30 PM »
Pineislander, thank you for all the info. I have just read in another thread that organza pouches work great for guava. Do you think they will also be effective on papaya?
https://www.amazon.com/Wuligirl-Drawstring-Organza-Jewelry-Cosmetic/dp/B077NXRP23/ref=sr_1_18?crid=1BOQXGFMCEW9Q&dchild=1&keywords=organza%2Bjewelry%2Bpouches&qid=1627331584&s=home-garden&sprefix=organza%2Bjewe%2Cgarden%2C163&sr=1-18&th=1

pineislander

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #18 on: July 26, 2021, 05:29:16 PM »
I use them on guava but my papaya fruit lies too tight on the tree to easily use the bags. I consider the papaya a seasonal fruit.

Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #19 on: July 27, 2021, 03:56:41 PM »
Sorry for this question, but have you ever thought of putting a condom on a papaya fruit? You can get a lot of 100 for about $23 at Walmart, so the cost is comparable to organza bags. People make balloons of them, so they will definitely stretch to a maradol size.
I have just gotten this idea. The only drawback that I can think of is that my plants are planted at the neighbor's fence. They are tall enough to have perfectly visible crowns and fruit.

Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #20 on: November 09, 2021, 04:42:35 PM »
So far so good. Out of 4 picked papayas, 1 was infected. At a very early stage though. I will keep reporting as the harvest progresses.
All the 3 clean ones were picked as big but at the "green papaya salad" stage. With really faint hues of salmon flesh.


pineislander

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #21 on: November 10, 2021, 05:00:49 PM »
I am getting pretty clean fruit. Now that temps went down papaya fruit fly pressure get lower. The fruit set during summer has enough size now and time on the trees to ripen. That has been my experience the past few years, papaya harvest season in fall through winter is best. This year most of my papaya is coming from ones planted spring 2020 so they are on their second season. I also have some plants on their third season which are bearing on coppiced branches.

Unfortunately, the recent cold front winds brought down about 500 pounds to the ground. I did put them into my vermiculture so they didn't get wasted. Bottom line, last weekend I was able to sell 60 pounds.





Malia

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #22 on: December 21, 2021, 12:50:59 PM »
Just reporting that I have harvested multiple fruits from my 5 papaya trees. Not even one infested since the one I reported last time. So organza bags are such a great solution. So convenient. I have eaten copious amounts of green papaya salad this season. As pineislander noticed, fruit flies do not attack now. The newly formed fruits do not have injuries.

I will be updating this thread from time to time as I planted some other varieties, such as sunrise, sunset, tainung waimanalo low bearing, red lady, improved maradol, red matador, Sun Gold, known you, bella, red queen. At first, I was labeling them but lost patience somewhere on the way lol.

Quite surprising for me: some papayas started fruiting 6 months after planing the seed.

Mike T

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Re: How do you fight papaya fruit fly?
« Reply #23 on: December 24, 2021, 07:44:53 AM »
There was a huge outbreak in North Queensland in the 1990s and what an epic battle to wipe them out especially in the rainforest. Its quite a tale and most experts said it would be impossible.