What was it all about?

This investment explored the potential of using flies as alternative crop pollinators, including assessing the effectiveness of specific species in pollinating avocado, berry (blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry), hybrid carrot seed, and brassica seed crops. The work was part of the Hort Frontiers Pollination Fund and included funding from a range of sources, including through the Hort Innovation Avocado Fund.

Potential benefits of flies as alternate pollinators to bees include:

• Different fly species meant that flies could be present all year round
• Flies had a high sugar demand and naturally visited flowers for nectar
• Flies were hairy and could pick up and move pollen
• Flies could be readily mass-reared with reasonably minimal inputs and did not sting workers

The findings demonstrated that certain fly species can effectively support fruit set and quality, performing comparably to or even better than traditional pollinators in some settings. With the ability to be mass-reared, operate in protected environments, and complement bee activity, managed flies present a promising strategy to enhance pollination outcomes and support consistent crop production.