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Pests & Diseases - Australia

how do i stop fruit fly in my tomatoes?

21 years ago

Hi there

Ive recently had a huge infestation of fruit fly in my tomatoes.How do i stop these flies getting into my fruit? They are also inside my capsicum aswell.At least 30 of our tomatoes have been wasted and same as the capsicum.We also have a yellow powdery fungus growing on the tomatoes, pumpkin and zucchini leaves that seems to be suffocating them.Does anyone know what this is?

Thanks

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Comments (7)

gardenlen
21 years ago
g'day justin,

there is a big discussion on this topic over in the cornucopia forum, lots of help there.

i have some tips on my remedies page at my site you are welcome to try them. i find the fruit fly wicks bought from the produce agency and used in homemade trap bottles work very well but don't place them near you tomato patch place them away from but near the area you are wanting to protect.

len

mail len

lens garden page
annabel__WA
21 years ago
I was looking for something else this morning and found a tip for tomatoes. Paint the stakes with a mixture of Vegemite and Malathion in water.
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roughie
21 years ago
I to used vegemite & Malathion painted on the stakes & it worked well until just after christmas.I think maybe i should have painted stakes again.Found one rotten tomato in amongst the folliage that fruit fly had got and then found them in other bushes as well.I lost quite a few capsicum as well.
Roughie
jancol04
21 years ago
Hi Justin
I use a cup of urine to 2 cups water, with a tablespoon of bovril or vegemite added and a tablespoon of honey. I use soft drink bottles with holes drilled in top about size of five cent pies and attach to fence with wire. I suppose I put about 3/4 cup in each bottle.
A sure fire recipe for green ants is a small can of cat food with three drops of frontline mixed in. No more. (The ants carry the poison to the nest), place in jar with 10 cent sixe holes in lid and secure in branches of tree, out of reach of other animals.
Jan
paradisi
21 years ago
tried all the pastes, paints and traps

I gave up and stripped my crop of tomatoes and am now relying on bagging the fruit as they set. Lots of little baggies hanging all over the garden - looks like a chinese lantern festival.

hopefully they work

I've bagged the tomatoes, oranges, feijoa and am wondering if I should bag the capcicum - not even fruitfly attack my black chillis and scotch bonnet chillis.

its a bit of extra work carrying the bags with me on my early morning garden patrol, but I think it might be worth it.
User
21 years ago
Thanks Jan I tried your Recipe this year.
And today I ate my first nectarine and no fruit fly,
in any of the fruit that I picked.. It works ...Cheers..MM.

PS None in the tomatoes that are popping up from the compost either.
galindoreyes_comcast_net
15 years ago
i had some tomatoes in side my house on the window sill back in aug. 2010 and they had tomatoes flys on them. the tomatoes are gone now and its winter here feb. 2011 and i still have these flys on the sill i have sprayed bug spray on the window sill and it kills a lot of them. the next day they are back i have done this over and over.and the window sill is kind of cold. they fly all over the house. please help me thank you g. reyes feb. 02/2011

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