[permaculture-oceania] Fruit fly and the rest of the pests

[P Ferguson]

Russ wrote ...> You are right that it is too late to stop fruit fly because 
there are so many susceptible plants already around the place that are not 
maintained.

Respond:   I once approached the Dept of Agriculture asking if they could 
release sterile fruit flies in the Illawarra [NSW] but the response was 
negative - because of cost and perhaps becaus there are few, if any. 
commercial orchards to warrant the cost.

> What worries me a bit though is how people readily plant these species
without thinking of fruit fly and the maintenance and horticultural know-how 
that will be required to manage the pest. Even in community gardens where
there have been people with the knowledge to deal with the fly I have seen
plenty of fruitfall on the ground from guava and other species.   In the 
garden of the place where I am presently living, guava and apple
(coddling moth) were planted by, so I am told, people from a Permaculture
organisation, yet the householder is not a gardener and is therefore
unlikely to be able to effectively control fruit fly, coddling moth and the
like. >

Respond:  Few permaculturists seem to have horticulture training, let alone 
knowledge of insects, pest or otherwise.  There is a sincere couple in Pt 
Kembla who suggested planting fruit trees along a common grassed area 
between houses.

> Perhaps the issue here is the design process that was used. Gardens do not 
> exist by themselves but, like other things, comes with a knowledge set 
> that  must be passed on the the people that will manage the system - 
> that's a
basic consideration in overseas development work and it's a concern that
experienced Permaculture designers have discussed for some years - the
passing on of skills and knowledge to manage an installed system.<

Response:  Even selling a house with an established garden is fraught with 
danger to the environment.   Does one cut down all the fruit trees for fear 
the next owner/tenant will neglect them and not control pests? Does one
Take down the bird boxes in case the next owner/tenant doesn't have the 
nouse to evict mina birds and starlings?   Take down the bat boxes - ditto?

As for people planting fruit trees that they can't look after, what about 
those who plant things like Norfolk Island Pines? pinus radiata?or the giant 
grevillea that grows to 80 feet and peppers its neighbours roofs with seeds 
that must sound like hail? or the well meaning former owners of  my house 
[English migrants] who planted an oak  tree which 50 years on takes up one 
third of  my back yard, shades my  clothes line and the neighbours on one 
side,  and sheds acorns and copious amounts of leaves;  I use the leaves for 
mulch, but they must be a pain in the neck for my neighbours.

I am afraid we inherit more than genes.

P Ferguson
Illawarra NSW