Ministry for Primary Industries has ramped up its fruit fly detection operation in Auckland as the weather heats up, but it hopes to give the all clear before Christmas. The inner-city suburb of Grey Lynn was put under a fruit and vegetable lockdown after a male Queensland fruit fly was found on February 16, the fourth time the pest had been found in northern New Zealand since 2012. In the latest outbreak, 14 flies were found, the last early in March, and the last larvae were found a week later. An MPI spokeswoman said fruit flies were usually inactive during the colder, winter months so field activities, including trap checking, were reduced. The spring programme began a couple of weeks ago and involved an increase in the number of times MPI checked traps in the highest risk area. Traps near where the flies were first found would be checked twice a week during the spring, she said. MPI planning manager Edwin Ainley said New Zealand could not assure its trading partners the population was gone until the empty traps confirmed the operation's success. At this stage MPI expected to give the all clear in early December and lift remaining restrictions on the transportation of fruit and vegetables before Christmas. As of the start of August the response to the infestation had cost $11.6 million. The MPI spokeswoman said the cost was changing all the time. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com