Source: Radio New Zealand
An Oriental fruit fly on a piece of fruit. Supplied / Biosecurity NZ
No more fruit flies have been spotted in Papatoetoe after a single male was found in a surveillance trap in the South Auckland suburb on Wednesday.
The new find comes as Biosecurity just wrapped up a six-week operation in Mount Roskill after a single male was found there.
Biosecurity Commissioner Mike Inglis said they had laid 114 additional traps in Papatoetoe since the latest fruit fly discovery, but there had not been further signs of the pest.
“At this stage, it’s just one single male fruit fly in that trap, so these additional traps are very important.
“These traps are very effective for the Oriental fruit fly; they attract the males extremely well.
“We have evidence of that from when we’ve dealt with this before, including about this time last year in Papatoetoe and the North Shore.”
He said biosecurity staff would be collecting fruit from residents for inspection this weekend.
“We’ve already collected some fruit. We’ll also be visiting high-risk businesses and talking to shopkeepers, and our team will be at local night markets providing flyers and information.
“We know from previous years that by getting in early, engaging the community, and putting controls in place, we’ll make sure it doesn’t impact the community too much and that this pest isn’t established.”
Legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables affecting roughly 10,000 properties would remain in place while Biosecurity investigated whether any more fruit flies could be hidden.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/no-further-fruit-flies-spotted-in-papatoetoe-in-auckland/