Legal controls over the movement of fruit and vegetables in areas of Auckland's North Shore are in place after the discovery of another Oriental fruit fly.
The single male Oriental fruit fly was found in a trap in the North Shore suburb of Birkdale yesterday afternoon.
It's the second time the pest has been detected in Auckland since the start of the year, after it was first located in Papatoetoe.
Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North Mike Inglis said so far the other traps in the areas of concern have shown no signs of other flies.
"While there is no evidence of a breeding population at this stage, we need community help to make sure we successfully find and eradicate any further fruit flies that may be present in the area," Inglis said.
"There have been 13 previous fruit fly incursions in New Zealand, which we have successfully eradicated so we have a very strong and detailed operational plans to guide our work.
"The rules now in place prohibit moving fruit and vegetables out of a specified controlled area around where the fruit fly was found."
The controlled space in Birkdale and nearby areas has two zones - Zone A (covers 200 metres) and Zone B (covers 1500 metres).
A detailed map of the controlled area and a full description of the boundaries and rules in place can be found here.
About 100 additional traps which target the oriental fruit fly are being placed within a 1500 metre area of the original find.
"These legal controls are an important precaution. Should there be any more flies out there, this will help prevent their spread out of the area," the Inglis said.
"It is likely the restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks."
Signs notifying people of the restrictions and the controlled area boundaries will be put in place.
"While it's disappointing to detect another Oriental fruit fly so soon after closing our previous response in Papatoetoe, the latest find highlights the value of our trapping and surveillance efforts," Inglis said.
"It is not unprecedented to have multiple detections. In 2019, we successfully responded to fruit fly detections in three Auckland suburbs, showing the effectiveness of New Zealand's biosecurity system.
"We all appreciate this will be inconvenient for the many people living in and around the controlled area, but following these directions is a critical precaution to protect our horticultural industries, home gardens and our New Zealand way of life."
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