Short Black Fig Fly Video

[Evdurtschi]

Just wanted to get a little info out there about what to look for as an early sign of infested figs. If you catch it in time, you can discard the figs before the larvae drop into the soil and multiply exponentially.

[cjccmc]

Thanks for the PSA on this nasty pest Eric. Is there only 1 or 2 per fig that emerge and drop to the ground?

[Evdurtschi]

I have found up to 8 in one fig and 5+ on a regular basis and that is without even really trying to see if there are more.

[599gh888]

Evdurtschi , thank you for the video. What’s the treatment for the soil if you are infected with
thw BFF?

[Evdurtschi]

Nothing is clear at this point. Many things have been suggested in the other threads but the efficacy is still unknown.

[MJFIGS]

Wow, I hope you guys are able to find a way to control it.

Is there an interactive map showing where these are, sooner or later if people are not careful and buy plants from sellers in an infected area, this will be bad news.

[Fig Gazer]

So far BFF infestation apears in a leep frog pattern from goleta calif east and south along the coastal strip to the MEXICAN border and inland to the simi valley .because the infestation indicators {sign} is a laging indicator and not enough effort has been put into looking for it to date ,it is most likely to be more wide spread than we currently know .From what ever source of MEXICAN FRUIT started its spred in calif . on a local level it spreads by wing way more than dirt or fruit , But to get into the SAN JAQUEN AND SACRAMENTO VALLEY (CENTRAL VALLEY ) IT MOST LIKELY WILL START FROM BAD FRUIT OR INFECTED SOIL .GIVEN THE HUGE AMOUNT OF TRAFIC FROM MEXICO UP THE I 5 CORRIDOR I WOULD BE SUPRIZED IF THERE IS NOT SOME SMALL POCKETS OF BFF THERE NOW ?

[ieatfigs]

I haven't been following the BFF thread. I would just go around each day organza bagging all the figs on 2 or 3 of your potted figs, until you eventually cover it all.

[Evdurtschi]

I have many thousands of figs and very little time. Definitely not enough to do this and many are already infested but lacking signs so I would miss it and they may be able to wriggle through. No idea.

[ieatfigs]

I see. Thx

[Fig Gazer]

wasTHINKING always problimatic . OF fabricating fig "saddles" out of springy fly screen .would lightly clamp on fig and have back pannel say size of penny to cover ostiale enough to deter fly .the clamping portion would give as fig grows and there would be lots of air to ripen fig properly ,may even allow wasps to pass .once you cut out a bunch would be faster to install than organza bags .may slow birds down some also but not much. PATTEN D PENDING LOL .

[venturabananas]

I would worry the female could fit her ovipositor (egg layer) through the mesh of the screen and get the eggs under the ostiole scales into the preferred spot. The ovipositor seems pretty narrow.

[Fig Gazer]

positioning the end wire say a 1/6 inch from the ostiole should take away the flys leverage or putting the wire tight may make it imposible to lift the scales either way the wire is so un-natural the fly may not even try and move to un armored fig ,also the wire could be dipped in suround or some other organic deterence .I DO NOT THINK THE FLY WOULD SQUISE ITSELF UNDER THE WIRE . IT IS REALY AMAZING JUST HOW EFFICENT THIS FLY HAS EVOLVED TO UTILIZE FIGS TO COMPLETE ITS LIFE CYCLE .

[LadyGT]

One thing for the home gardener to do is to screen in the fig trees. I know not a cheap idea, but this is one way to protect your trees. I planned on doing it myself to protect against birds and wasps. I picked a couple of figs yesterday and already see damage from wasps. Time to break out the tulle.

[Dtownfigs]

I’m wondering if rooted fig cuttings coming out of California could pose a risk to spreading the BBF to other parts of the country?

[venturabananas]

I think the short answer is yes.

The more nuanced answer is that if the rooted cuttings were grown away from any figs with fruit on them and don't themselves have fruit on them, the chances of BFF being on the plant are pretty much zero, and being in the soil is very low, too, since they drop out of fruit and pupate in the soil.

But even if the risk is very small, would you want to be the person who brought in the plant that spread this pest to your part of the country?

[Dtownfigs]

venturabananas, point well taken. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a vector of spread. It’s worth considering as sales from FigBid continue from California sellers that likely are in areas with BFF.

[Evan]

venturabananas agreed! Thanks, Mark.

Dtownfigs we are actively trying a soil soak on all rooted cuttings. We will continue to monitor all of our trees and cuttings.

[Dtownfigs]

Evan and Evdurtschi, the steps taken to minimize the contamination in these early stages are likely pivotal. I have absolute faith that you both are committed to controlling the spread. I’m hoping the fig community follows your lead and we can cut this bug off early.

[Figland]

Dtownfigs I have suggested this to NYC figs,(limiting sales from California) but it's a drastic step to take. At the moment, with CDFA still in the process of identifying the scope, and determining the level of danger this pest poses to commercial agriculture, it would be difficult to determine the "hazard" areas. Watching, and waiting, and destroying all imperfect figlets right now, and having a heart palpitation whenever I see or hear any flies. The best thing we can do is educate ourselves and each other so we can identify early signs of this new pest. One person on Facebook reported that she was still able to get a crop of ripe figs after finding one tree that had dropped most of its figs because she acted quickly and destroyed all of the damaged figs. Maybe we have to also keep fig plants off the soil, even using a tarp under them to keep the larvae from reaching the ground to complete its life cycle.

[Frankenberry]

Anybody a scientist and want to run some experiments? It would need to be in an area that is already infested...

In a controled environment (like an enclosed fish tank etc) grow the pupae in soil and then see what kills them....it would require a few tanks, covers, etc and time...

I am, currently, without infestation in my surrounding area. This most likely is due to lack of significant ferrell figs and accompanying wasps. A blessing and curse for a California fig grower...

I would love to experiment with how to kill BFF's in ground etc but this should be done in a area that is already infested in case accidental escapes happen. Anyone want to collaborate on this together?
I would be more then willing to help. Just not at my non-infested house...