The Mighty Melon Fly
I once saw this advert something like 8 years ago when I began thinking of farming. “You can make Kshs. 400,000/= from an investment of Kshs. 40,000/=” I normally do get excited with the so-called get Rich Quick Schemes but to be honest I was lured and I tried. I mean very many Agripreneurs have no interest in Watermelon farming.
Why is Watermelon farming the easiest yet the hardest of all the so-called High Value crops? One of the reasons that makes it hard is what i refer to as “The Mighty Melon Fly.” I am telling you this monster is so terrifying to watermelon farmers that they are yet to understand how to cope with it.
This fly is not like any other fly. It knows when to attack and where to attack and multiply. It knows that when it has attacked a flower it is of no use so it leaves to tell the next flower how the other flower was stung.
Time and again I have tried to use all means necessary to trap all the melon flies in my watermelon plantations but they have managed to penetrate and still do what it knows best.
This is a graphical representation of how a fruit looks after it has been stung.
How to trap the Melon fly
What I have seen most farmers who have fought the melon fly war do are just making sure they gather all their ammunition way before they go to this war. I am telling you this is a war as it determines whether you will get that Kshs. 400,000/= (which by the way I think it is a Lie to lure farmers).
AMMUNITION AGAINST MELON FLY
Melon fly traps
I hope I have not scared any of you. I will next talk about How to start and succeed in watermelon farming.
