Mango

Kath says...
This could be fruit fly spoiling your mangos. Fruit fly larvae live in the soil under fruit trees and their numbers can build up in the ground below your trees. It is important orchard hygiene to pick up all fruit that drops from your tree, do not leave it on the ground as this will encourage them. If you set a fruit fly lure trap in your tree in August you will be able to monitor the numbers of flies that are active around your mango and then you can treat them if necessary with an appropriate treatment.

Kath says...
There are lots of different fruit fly lures on the market and there are also products that are in many of our kitchen cupboards and fridges that will attract them like beer and vegemite. Some lures attract the male flies , some attract the female and some attract them all. You will need to do a little research into which product you want to use in your orchard. Here is a good place to start - www.greenharvest.com.au
Traps can be easily made from old drink bottles, cut a couple of holes about 15cm from the bottom about the size of a 5 cent piece. These are to let the flies in. A couple of holes in the lid to thread a string though so you can hang it in the tree and then fill your trap with about 2cm of your chosen lure. I use Wild May in my home orchard, this is a male lure, the idea being that the females do not have any males to mate with and go else ware to find a mate and lay their eggs. I check the trap weekly to top it up and to count the numbers of flies so I can monitor their activity in my orchard.