Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 2 August 2016 | Page 17

Research
SPLAT goes the fly

The aptly named SPLAT (Specialised
Pheromone and Lure Application
Technology) is designed to make
application quicker and easier. Male
attractant and insecticide are applied
in a flowable, waxy matrix. This matrix

Spinosad is considered
to pose less risk to
mammals, birds and fish
than organophosphate
insecticides, making it more
environmentally
sustainable

The results indicated that
spinosad is slower acting on Qfly
than malathion, and is more likely to
lose efficacy over time. However, the
combination of SPLAT + spinosad
attracted and killed more flies than the
wick system, although not as many as

controls release of the volatiles and

the caneite block.

protects them from environmental degradation.

“The results show that SPLAT + cue-lure +

SPLAT is applied in small dollops using a caulking

spinosad is a promising alternative system for management

gun, modified sprayer or even by a robot or an airplane.

of Qfly under Australian conditions”, according to Dr Crisp,

Application is quicker so more can be applied. This means

and “it could also prove useful for other fruit fly species,

~25 MAT units c an be replaced with a couple of hundred

including the invasive melon fly”.

globs of SPLAT per hectare of orchard.
The potential downside of this is that more insecticide is
being placed in the environment. To overcome this, some

However, MAT remains just one part of an overall
strategy.
“Male annihilation can be combined very effectively

practitioners have proposed using spinosad as the toxicant.

with other management strategies, such as protein bait

Spinosad is considered to pose less risk to mammals, birds

sprays, field hygiene, and biological controls,” Dr Crisp

and fish than organophosphate insecticides, making it

said.

more environmentally sustainable when applied around
the orchard.
Research in Florida and Hawaii has found that SPLAT,

“Combinations of these techniques have successfully
defeated Qfly outbreaks in SA, WA and parts of the old fruit
fly exclusion zone. SPLAT has the advantage of reducing

combined with spinosad insecticide and the appropriate

labour costs, as well as allowing the use of a less toxic, more

male attractant (methyl eugenol or cue-lure), can

environmentally sustainable insecticide than malathion in

successfully attract and kill male Oriental and melon flies.

baiting programs.”

Australian SPLATs

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This project has been funded by
Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd using multiple industry
levies and funds from the Australian Government (MT12001).

New research from Peter Crisp (SARDI) and Olivia
Reynolds (NSW DPI) has tested whether SPLAT can also
work for Queensland fruit fly (Qfly). Initial trials were
conducted using large, mesh cages containing adult male
Qflies. A mixture of SPLAT + cue-lure + spinosad was
compared to cue-lure + maldison (malathion), with both
lure types weathered outside for up to eight weeks before
testing.
The formulations were then taken out into the orchard.
In this case, traps baited with SPLAT + cue-lure + spinosad
were compared to traps baited with a caneite block or wick,
both loaded with cue-lure + malathion. The traps were
distributed in a mixed fruit orchard (pome and stone fruit)
in southwest Sydney. Traps were checked weekly, with the
trial repeated six times.
summerfruit.com.au

Male flies are more likely to be attracted by many
small dollops of SPLAT CL + cue-lure + insecticide
around an orchard than to fewer, though larger,
MAT bait stations. Photo: ISCA Technologies
august 2016 | Australian Stonefruit Grower

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