The Ministry for Primary Industries is winding down its fruit fly control operation in Auckland over the winter as the flies become dormant in the cooler weather.
A Queensland fruit fly found in Grey Lynn. Photo: MPI
The Ministry has announced it is reducing the size of the main control zone in Grey Lynn from 300 houses to 190, which will ease the fruit and vegetable movement restrictions on households now outside the zone.
Ministry acting chief operations officer Steve Gilbert said the fruit flies had not been eradicated and the incursion was not over. He said monitoring would ramp up again in spring.
"We certainly have to wait till spring, and we will instigate a trapping programme and a fruit collection programme in spring to ascertain whether we have completely eradicated it or not."
Mr Gilbert said the Ministry for Primary Industries would continue to do what it could over winter, including picking up fruit and clearing fruit and vegetable amnesty bins.