papaya fruitflies

[Teddy]

Please help me.  I am invaded with those wasp looking fruit flies on my papayas.  I have been looking for bait traps but did not have any luck finding any.

[bsbullie]

Please help me.  I am invaded with those wasp looking fruit flies on my papayas.  I have been looking for bait traps but did not have any luck finding any.

From Julia Morton:
"A major hazard to papayas in Florida and Venezuela is the wasp-like papaya fruit fly, Toxotrypana curvicauda. The female deposits eggs in the fruit which will later be found infested with the larvae. Only thick-fleshed fruits are safe from this enemy. Control on a commercial scale is very difficult. Home gardeners often protect the fruit from attack by covering with paper bags, but this must be done early, soon after the flower parts have fallen, and the bags must be replaced every 10 days or 2 weeks as the fruits develop. Rolled newspaper may be utilized instead of bags and is more economical."

[fruitlovers]

Please help me.  I am invaded with those wasp looking fruit flies on my papayas.  I have been looking for bait traps but did not have any luck finding any.

From Julia Morton:
"A major hazard to papayas in Florida and Venezuela is the wasp-like papaya fruit fly, Toxotrypana curvicauda. The female deposits eggs in the fruit which will later be found infested with the larvae. Only thick-fleshed fruits are safe from this enemy. Control on a commercial scale is very difficult. Home gardeners often protect the fruit from attack by covering with paper bags, but this must be done early, soon after the flower parts have fallen, and the bags must be replaced every 10 days or 2 weeks as the fruits develop. Rolled newspaper may be utilized instead of bags and is more economical."

No need to bag papayas. Here we have commercial production without any bagging. The trick is to pick the fruit still hard, before the fruit fly stings them. The fruit will continue to ripen indoors as long as it has a tiny bit of yellow coloration when picked.
In Australia they have a much bigger problem as they have a type of fruitfly (Queensland fly?) that will sting the papayas even when green. So there they do have to bag the fruits.

[BMc]

Please help me.  I am invaded with those wasp looking fruit flies on my papayas.  I have been looking for bait traps but did not have any luck finding any.

From Julia Morton:
"A major hazard to papayas in Florida and Venezuela is the wasp-like papaya fruit fly, Toxotrypana curvicauda. The female deposits eggs in the fruit which will later be found infested with the larvae. Only thick-fleshed fruits are safe from this enemy. Control on a commercial scale is very difficult. Home gardeners often protect the fruit from attack by covering with paper bags, but this must be done early, soon after the flower parts have fallen, and the bags must be replaced every 10 days or 2 weeks as the fruits develop. Rolled newspaper may be utilized instead of bags and is more economical."

No need to bag papayas. Here we have commercial production without any bagging. The trick is to pick the fruit still hard, before the fruit fly stings them. The fruit will continue to ripen indoors as long as it has a tiny bit of yellow coloration when picked.
In Australia they have a much bigger problem as they have a type of fruitfly (Queensland fly?) that will sting the papayas even when green. So there they do have to bag the fruits.

Qfly are a huge problem. I bag everything i want to eat, incl many citrus. they are funny in what they will attack from year to year. Ive not had them in papaya for a while, but if we have a warm winter they will continue their breeding cycle in papaya, citrus etc. They can even get into thick skinned fruit as they get stung by a fruit piercing moth, then the Qfly can lay eggs in the same hole.

[fruitlovers]

Qfly are a huge problem. I bag everything i want to eat, incl many citrus. they are funny in what they will attack from year to year. Ive not had them in papaya for a while, but if we have a warm winter they will continue their breeding cycle in papaya, citrus etc. They can even get into thick skinned fruit as they get stung by a fruit piercing moth, then the Qfly can lay eggs in the same hole.

I've noticed here also that fruitflies change their hosts from year to year somewhat. For example, usually citrus is not bothered here by fruitflies, but on some years they can do a lot of damage to citrus.

[Teddy]

I am in Boynton Beach FL.  These fruit flies are poking into the new hard green papaya's with no problem.

[bsbullie]

Please help me.  I am invaded with those wasp looking fruit flies on my papayas.  I have been looking for bait traps but did not have any luck finding any.

From Julia Morton:
"A major hazard to papayas in Florida and Venezuela is the wasp-like papaya fruit fly, Toxotrypana curvicauda. The female deposits eggs in the fruit which will later be found infested with the larvae. Only thick-fleshed fruits are safe from this enemy. Control on a commercial scale is very difficult. Home gardeners often protect the fruit from attack by covering with paper bags, but this must be done early, soon after the flower parts have fallen, and the bags must be replaced every 10 days or 2 weeks as the fruits develop. Rolled newspaper may be utilized instead of bags and is more economical."

No need to bag papayas. Here we have commercial production without any bagging. The trick is to pick the fruit still hard, before the fruit fly stings them. The fruit will continue to ripen indoors as long as it has a tiny bit of yellow coloration when picked.
In Australia they have a much bigger problem as they have a type of fruitfly (Queensland fly?) that will sting the papayas even when green. So there they do have to bag the fruits.

I have noticed, at least here in my area, that the papayas need to take on more of the yellow gold coloration prior to picking to attain a full, sweet and exceptional flavor.

[Teddy]

I agree Rob.  What I am really looking for is a pheromone to trap the Toxotrypana curvicauda

[fruitlovers]

I agree Rob.  What I am really looking for is a pheromone to trap the Toxotrypana curvicauda

Oh, the papaya fruit fly. We don't have that one here (at least yet). Has super long stinger. There are pheronome traps for it. You would need to ask some of your local extension agents about it or garden/agricultural shops for it.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Hi Teddy,

Here's some sites on that pest and how to control them. This pest is a fruit fly on steroids...

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig074

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/fruit/tropical/papaya_fruit_fly.htm

Good luck!!!

[JonathonForester]

Anyone ever come up with a good solution or source for fruit fly control? Toxotrypana curvicauda seems to have a stronghold in St. Pete.

[skhan]

I bought organza bags for my father in law, so i hope that works.
I just cut down my papaya tree.
The fruits got stung from plum to orange sizes and fell of the tree.

[willowwater]

I had abandoned growing papaya for a while because of the flies and fruit drop they were causing. However with trial and error, the only thing that seems to work reliably enough for me is double bagging the fruit with loose organza bags. A determined fly may get through one layer but its chances for success are diminished with a second bag, particularly if the bags are loose and not tight around the fruit. Also noticed that a light misting of neem oil on the bags further increases my chances of getting clean fruit. Not particularly sure what about the neem oil that is dissuading the flies, but it seems to work. However, at minimum the double bagging is a big help while still allowing some light and air to reach the fruit. 

[Sunrisefruit]

I tried everything from bagging them to trying to poison them with no avail.. the only thing that seemed to work was to cut it's life cycle..
the papaya fruit fly inserts an egg into the papayas on the tree, the egg becomes a larva that eats the seeds inside the papaya, it rots and the papaya falls to the ground.  then the larva gets out of the papaya, digs a hole in the ground  where it matures and becomes a fruit fly and repeats the cycle. you have to cut the cycle.. when you see that the papaya, on the tree, has been infected.. discard the papaya, throw it out, away from the house so the larva never becomes a fly.. if you have many papaya trees, it might be hard to prevent one of the papayas to fall to the ground but that is what you have to do.. papayas should never fall to the ground, that's where the larva matures into another fly..

[JonathonForester]

Man, thats a bummer. I might have to look into bags then, I guess.

[Cookie Monster]

There is another strategy that works here in South Florida (in my area at least) -- the winter fruits are rarely infected. I think the fruit fly populations dwindle in the fall and don't ramp back up until the following summer. One can generally harvest clean fruits from Oc / Nov til about April.

[Tropicalgrower89]

I use strips of red clothing or red yarn. The red strips makes the fruit fly think that it is something bad, and they won't get near the fruit. When I lived in west pines, my papayas would get attacked and they will always have worms. I tied some medium sized strips of red yarn to the stems of the fruit (they hang over the fruit) and to the leaf stems. After doing that, the papayas stayed clean.  When my improved hawaiian solo sunrise papayas begin fruiting, I'll try that method again to see if it works again.

[gunnar429]

I use strips of red clothing or red yarn. The red strips makes the fruit fly think that it is something bad, and they won't get near the fruit. When I lived in west pines, my papayas would get attacked and they will always have worms. I tied some medium sized strips of red yarn to the stems of the fruit (they hang over the fruit) and to the leaf stems. After doing that, the papayas stayed clean.  When my improved hawaiian solo sunrise papayas begin fruiting, I'll try that method again to see if it works again.

do you have a pic?

[Tropicalgrower89]

I use strips of red clothing or red yarn. The red strips makes the fruit fly think that it is something bad, and they won't get near the fruit. When I lived in west pines, my papayas would get attacked and they will always have worms. I tied some medium sized strips of red yarn to the stems of the fruit (they hang over the fruit) and to the leaf stems. After doing that, the papayas stayed clean.  When my improved hawaiian solo sunrise papayas begin fruiting, I'll try that method again to see if it works again.

do you have a pic?

Nope. When these papaya trees finally sprout and begin to fruit, I'll post pics of the red yarn method.

[JonathonForester]

Standard yarn width? I'll give it a try. March/ April was about when I started to see them in St. Pete.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Just normal red yarn. Make sure the strips are long enough so that they can dangle and move around in the wind (be noticeable).

[trini]

I'm going to try the red yarn.
This is what I'm trying this year. 
Used chicken wire and screening fabric to make a cage.
I move it up the tree as more fruits are pollinated removing the lower leaves as I go up.

[Tropicalgrower89]

I'm going to try the red yarn.
This is what I'm trying this year. 
Used chicken wire and screening fabric to make a cage.
I move it up the tree as more fruits are pollinated removing the lower leaves as I go up.

Looks like an effective method. One good thing about the red yarn method is that it is less work and you don't need to cut leaves off, so your papaya plant can have more leaves for photosynthesis and it looks better  . If you want, you can wait until those large ones ripen, before trying the red yarn method.

[marklee]

Please help me.  I am invaded with those wasp looking fruit flies on my papayas.  I have been looking for bait traps but did not have any luck finding any.

From Julia Morton:
"A major hazard to papayas in Florida and Venezuela is the wasp-like papaya fruit fly, Toxotrypana curvicauda. The female deposits eggs in the fruit which will later be found infested with the larvae. Only thick-fleshed fruits are safe from this enemy. Control on a commercial scale is very difficult. Home gardeners often protect the fruit from attack by covering with paper bags, but this must be done early, soon after the flower parts have fallen, and the bags must be replaced every 10 days or 2 weeks as the fruits develop. Rolled newspaper may be utilized instead of bags and is more economical."

No need to bag papayas. Here we have commercial production without any bagging. The trick is to pick the fruit still hard, before the fruit fly stings them. The fruit will continue to ripen indoors as long as it has a tiny bit of yellow coloration when picked.
In Australia they have a much bigger problem as they have a type of fruitfly (Queensland fly?) that will sting the papayas even when green. So there they do have to bag the fruits.

Yes, the Queensland Fruit Fly, my friend in the Ag dept. here in San Diego trapped one back in the 80's here in San Diego, it is still the most unusual one they have come across, we get the occasional Guava, Oriental, Mediterranean and Mexican fruit fly, but the CDFA is great about eradicating them.

[gnappi]

Bagging papaya was the only way to get fruit. Once the plant got too large to bag them I cut them down.

Now I am growing them in pots to make it easier to bag, harvest, and take down when they get too large.