Are you spraying to kill them off?

how do they get into the compost? do you compost old infected fruit? we have tropical fruit fly here which is bad for our soft fruits ruined our last tomato season, but we never compost any fruits that could have nfestation it all gets destroyed by freezing and dumping off site well wrapped.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

These beetles do not infest the fruit, they just eat it. After they mate, which they often do right on the fruit in big sex/gorging orgees, they have no modesty, the females lay their eggs in what they see as the most hospitable environment for the hatching grubs, first choice always being anything with manure in it.
I do not spray any pesticides, but I have waged losing wars against the flying adults by drowning them is soapy water or swatting them in mid-air with a badminton racquet.

It sounds like you are in serious need of hot composting. Very little can survive in a good hot pile besides the bacteria of course. Add a bunch of grass clippings and turn that puppy over. It's probably easiest to just cook the little buggers out.

Californian,

I have this visual going; you are outside swinging your racket at something no one else can see, and the whispers start. The neighbors all meet at the curb on trash takeout night and say: "If somebody hears him/her say "30-Love" we agree to call the meat-wagon."

I wonder if this fits in with "going too far"? (LoL) Thanks for the visualÂ

Blutranes

You people don't seem to understand. The beetles lay their eggs in the compost after it is finished and spread around the garden. The grubs actually are found in the dirt under the compost or at the bottom of the compost. This problem has nothing to do with how the compost was made other than the beetles are attracted to compost made with manure. The reason the beetles chose the compost is it is the richest source of organic food for the grubs around.

I did some reading on it and it seems the most effective method of non-poison control is to turn the compost over to expose the larva to birds and such. Perhaps scraping all the compost off the ground and rebuilding it into a hot pile would work.

I think I might be tempted to hire some neighborhood kids, give them some screens and have them sift the entire load.

If it were me, I would have to do "something" about it. At the very least to put a dent in the population.

Perhaps BT granules would work if mixed into the compost?

Also this site http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/22781/dft_app4.pdf says that the adults are
attracted to traps containing chemicals from pineapple.

Kill what you can now, trap what adults you can later and keep all ripe and overripe fruit cleaned up.

Might be worth a try.

Come on You People! LOL

Seriously, I too thought upon reading your post that you were digging holes in a compost pile. No matter. Perhaps we've just tried too hard to help and haven't offered enough sympathy for your plight.

Get the neighbors an anonymous fruit basket. :-D

My compost bins do get hot and I still find the grubs usually on the bottom of the compost pile where they burrow into holes. They are kind of disgusting looking to me, but I didn't figure they were doing any harm. The information that I read said that the adult beetle feeds on soft fruit. I'm guessing on fruit that has ripened and fallen to the ground. We have persimmon, quince, fig, pomegranate, and citrus trees and I have never seen any damage to the fruit from the beetles...from the squirrels now that's another story!

Well every one of the 9 holes I have dug through the compost to get to the dirt underneath to plant my Zucchini has yielded about eight grubs that I have squashed, so that's around 72 that met their maker so far. That's right, these green fruit beetles are smart and only eat the best fruit that is just starting to ripen. I have no spoiled fruit other than what the beetles ruined. They are excellent flyers and come in at an altitude of anywhere from six to thirty feet looking for fruit. They generally circle the tree twice and then land on what looks like the best ripened fruit. If there is an orgy going on as many beetles as can fit on the fruit will congregate on it. That's the best time to kill them with soapy water. They are too busy eating and having sex to see you sneak up on them. Hold the bucket full of soapy water under the fruit and knock the whole fruit, beetles and all, into the soapy water and they will drown in a few minutes. If you don't use soap or detergent in the water they will live for a long time and even escape. When the bucket get too full dump it on the ground and the birds or something will eat the dead beetles, as they aren't there the next day. To improve you tennis game you can have fun swatting them as they fly in for the feast in mid-air. It makes the most pleasing splat sound as you send them flying over the back fence.