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Queensland fruit fly

Queensland Fruit Fly (Qfly) is an invasive pest which attacks more than 300 species of fruits and vegetables and could seriously impact Western Australia’s horticulture industries and home-grown produce.

Queensland fruit fly
Queensland fruit fly
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Queensland fruit fly

Pests & insects

Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) has been detected in the suburbs of Como and South Perth. Qfly is an invasive pest which attacks more than 300 species of fruits and vegetables and could seriously impact Western Australia’s horticulture industries and home-grown produce.

 

Updated: 21 April 2026
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Queensland fruit fly on fruit
Queensland fruit fly on fruit

Current Situation

DPIRD is responding to a detection of Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) in Como and South Perth. This detection was part of state-wide routine monitoring of WA’s early warning surveillance trapping network.
 
A Quarantine Area is in place with requirements designed to swiftly eradicate Qfly. Further information on the Quarantine Area zones and requirements can be found below.
 
DPIRD Biosecurity Officers are visiting properties in the Como and South Perth areas to undertake inspections, apply a registered organic bait (Naturalure) and deploy Qfly lures. Residents in the area are asked to support our Biosecurity Officers and allow them access to their gardens when requested. For more information on the bait used, please see the FAQs.

Quarantine Area

Red Zone

  • The Red Zone is a 1.5km radius area around Qfly detections. 
  • Residents and businesses in the Red Zone must remove ripe and ripening fruit and fruiting vegetables from host plants every three days. 
  • Fallen fruit must be picked up, treated and disposed of immediately.
  • Fruit must either be eaten immediately or treated before disposing of in the general waste bin.
  • Host fruit and fruiting vegetables must not be moved within or out of the Red Zone unless it has been treated.
 

What is a host?

 
Qfly hosts are fruit or fruiting vegetables which Qfly can breed in. Females lay their eggs just under the surface of the fruit. Maggots or larvae then hatch from the egg and start feeding on the fruit. Once fully grown, larva jump from the fruit, drop to the ground and tunnel into the soil where they pupate, before emerging from the ground as an adult. Qfly has more than 300 hosts. You can find a list of hosts at the bottom of this page. 
 
 

Orange Zone

  • The Orange Zone covers the area in a 15km radius from the detection points and is the area of the QA that is not part of the Red Zone. 
  • The Orange Zone acts as a buffer to prevent further spread of the pest.
  • Host fruit and fruiting vegetables must not be moved outside of the Orange Zone unless they have been treated.
  • Host fruit and fruiting vegetables moving within the Orange Zone or into the Red Zone must be maintained under secure conditions (covered, in packaging, fully enclosed or screened buildings) to ensure the produce does not become infested.
For full details on the Quarantine Area requirements, please refer to the Quarantine Area Notice available at the bottom of the page.

Why is it important to keep Western Australia free from Qfly?

Qfly is a highly invasive agricultural pest, infesting more than 300 species of cultivated fruits and vegetables. 

Maintaining Qfly Area Freedom provides WA growers access to export markets, such as avocados to Japan and strawberries to Thailand, and allows for continued enjoyment of home-grown fruit and vegetables.

If Qfly were to establish, it would result in increased use of pesticides and a reduction or loss in our ability to grow and enjoy fruits and vegetables in our backyard.

Western Australia has been highly successful at eradicating previous Qfly incursions with the cooperation of local communities and industry and by efforts of the experienced incident response staff at DPIRD.

Qfly has been has eradicated from the Perth metropolitan area on ten occasions since 1989. The most recent responses were in Willagee in 2025, Bayswater and Belmont in 2023, Coolbellup in 2021 and Dalkeith, Claremont and Nedlands in 2020. 

Report suspect pests

Early detection and reporting will help protect our horticulture industries and home grown produce. If you find or suspect the presence of Qfly, report it in one of the following ways.

Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) Host Movement Notification

Qfly or Medfly?

Don't confuse Qfly for Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly). While the eggs and larvae of Qfly and Medfly look identical and cannot be easily distinguished from one another, Queensland fruit fly has a red-brownish torso with yellow patches, a dark brown abdomen and clear wings. Mediterranean fruit fly has a torso with black and silver patches, an orange-brown abdomen with two lighter rings, and mottled wings. The Fly ID guide provides more information.

Fly ID guide

Medfly  Qfly

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