This investment is delivering the knowledge needed to evaluate the use of parasitoid wasps as a potential strategy for fruit fly management. The use of natural enemies such as parasitoids against insect pests is regarded as a core component in sustainable pest control and will provide horticulture industries with another method to use for fruit fly management.
This research is being conducted through two complementary components – firstly by improving current knowledge of fruit fly parasitoid distribution in Queensland and northern New South Wales, and secondly by trialling a new mass rearing and release strategy for the southern states.