Queensland Fruit Fly is one of the world’s worst pests affecting fruit production. Currently Queensland Fruit Fly is detected and monitored by cutting up fruit and observing maggots inside or using traps containing synthetic attractants to capture adult flies.

Staff at the Department of Primary Industries in Knoxfield have commenced a project to train a dog to detect Queensland Fruit Fly larvae in fruit. If successful, DPI staff will be able to check backyards, fruit markets and orchards for Queensland Fruit Fly much more quickly, at a lower cost and perhaps even more accurately.

Your mission
is to determine the steps that could be undertaken by scientists to train and prove that a detector dog can detect Queensland Fruit Fly larvae in backyards, markets or orchards more accurately and faster than a person. Present your recommendations to the class.

Your presentation should include the following:

• Introduction to the project (background information)
• Aim (what you are trying to achieve)
• Hypothesis (the statement you would be testing)
• Why the project is important.
• Materials and methods (equipment and steps you would use to test the hypothesis)
• Results that would support your hypothesis
• Example of a scientist who could be involved in this project and what they would do.

For more information about Queensland Fruit Fly: Go to www.dpi.vic.gov.au > click on Agriculture > Plant Standards > Queensland Fruit Fly

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