Fruit fly on Mangos

[HAPPYNUFF]

Anyone  know of good mixture  to put on mango trees to  get rid of fruit fly?     we had the  best  crop for years this year, but    the fly  has ruined   almost half the crop,..  not commercial growers, we  just have  three decent sized trees around the house.     Have  put plastic   bags over  survivors, sprayed with some stuff, but  still   see  flies .

[Gecko123]

 

Thank you for starting thread. I am experiencing same problem. Have seen this in past years as well, but this year is far and away the worst.

 

Is this the type of damage you are experiencing? Larvae visible in middle of top mango. Fruits split open prematurely and exposed flesh is covered with small brown bugs.

[drtreelove]

"Sprayed with some stuff" ?? 

Best to be discriminating and informed about what you spray into your environment.

 

Bag the fruit earlier next time. Its organic program compatible, non toxic and fruit bags are readily available at ag shops and online.  

 

Spraying requires special equipment, backpack sprayer for small trees or a tank sprayer to reach the entire canopy of mature mango trees.  And the insecticide materials that would be used require proper mixing, personal protection, spray application technique, timing and repeated applications to be effective.

 

Unfortunately, organic program bio-pesticides have little residual effectiveness (fortunate for the environment and beneficials, but repeat spraying becomes unaffordable. )

 

If you have the equipment and are confident in your ability to apply a chemical insecticide in a responsible way, PPE's and appropriate spray technique to avoid personal and environmental contamination, especially fish pond protection, then use a pyrethroid, like cypermethrin (synthetic chemistry, derived from the natural chrysanthemum extract pyrethrum  chemistry).  It has knock down /contact kill power as well as a couple of weeks residual effectiveness as a barrier.  It will coat the foliage and fruit, but it is not systemic so will not enter the fruit tissues and can be washed off. 

Use a spreader-sticker in the tank mix.

 

Cypermethrin - Wikipedia

 

Use fruit fly phermone traps to determine timing of infestation and spray program. 

 

Older generation insecticides that were recommended to me for our 55 large mature mango trees were organo phosphates and not acceptible to me for a biorational, least toxic program.  After getting surprised and slammed with fruit fly damage the first year, the second year, a little wiser, I set traps and detected the onslaught early, I hired a local climber helper and together we climbed and bagged the fruit on all the trees.

 

Red weaver ants which nest in mango trees, although an effective biological control for many pest issues, cannont keep up with a full on fruit fly attack. We removed the ant nests before climbing. 

 

 

 

[VocalNeal]

"Time flies like an arrow" and "Fruit flies like a mango"

 

But HAL wouldn't understand?

[EricTh]

Would like to ask the people here. How long does it take for Mango trees to bear fruits from young?

 

Is it ok to grow from seed ? The nursery is selling at 500 baht for just one Mango tree that will bear fruit next year, is there a cheaper version?