By Jimmy Meiklejohn
Twelve Swan Hill youngsters learnt about the dangers of Queensland fruit flies in an activity arranged by Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area.
The activity which was held at the Swan Hill Regional Library as part of their holiday activities gave those in attendance the opportunity to make their own flytrap as well as learn about the dangers of fruit flies.
Community Support Officer from Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area Tricia Whitney was on hand to help educate the kids about how bad fruit flies can be.
“It’s really important to get the message through to kids, but it is also good to do that in a way which they can have fun doing, like making their own trap to catch fruit flies in,” she said.
Alongside with making their own trap, the youngsters also received an activity book which includes word searches as well as other activities to help educate them about fruit flies and why they are such an issue.
They also received seed packs so they are able to grow their very own plants which are not susceptible to fruit fly damage.
The activity is timely, as this is the time of year where fruit flies reach their peak in terms of numbers, and the amount of damage they can inflict, especially to local producers.
“They definitely peak this time of year, December and January is where they reach full flight so it’s really good to get the message out there anywhere we can,” she said.
The activity was the second one held in the past week, with an activity also held at Robinvale Library last week, with numbers at Swan Hill exceeding expectations.
“The number of attendees were better than anticipated, obviously the kids have a interest in their environment and want to be able to learn as much as possible to help preserve it,” she said.
