Releasing sterile flies

You might notice small planes flying low over Adelaide’s north, east and western suburbs. They’re not spraying, surveying, or fighting fires – they’re dropping fruit flies. Millions of them.

It’s part of a 12-week program to control fruit fly outbreaks using the sterile insect technique (SIT), which is already being used in the Riverland. It works by flooding outbreak areas with sterile flies that mate with wild ones – but produce no young. Over time, the wild population drops.

More about metro releases More about SIT

How to prevent fruit fly

Sterile fly releases

  • Salisbury North and Glyde outbreak areas – weekly until late October 2025.
  • Riverland outbreak areas – Chaffey, Cooltong, Crescent, Paringa, and Renmark until early January 2026.

For more information, see Sterile insect technique.

Stay informed

Call the Fruit Fly Hotline

Report suspected fruit fly or get answers to your fruit fly questions. The hotline is open 24 hours.

Call 1300 666 010
Page Last Reviewed: 16 Feb 2022
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