New Zealand’s Feijoa Growers Association is seeking funding for research into the eradication of guava moth, according to Radio New Zealand.
Feijoa growers across the country’s North Island are reporting a rise in detections this year, with Northland-based producer Peter Jack suggesting he has lost half of his crop to the pest this season.
“With this wet season, I think they've bred maybe two or three times,” Jack told Radio New Zealand. “Unlike the fruit fly, this thing will handle cold weather, so it has the capability of being just as much a problem.”
Guava moth was first detected in New Zealand 20 years ago, and has largely been contained to Auckland and the Northland to date. However, Jack said the pest was now being discovered in Waikato and could migrate as far south as Nelson.
“There's not enough research done on it that if it does become a really big issue, to combat it,” Jack explained.
