Surveillance traps set for fruit flies and gypsy moths over the past year have turned up nothing of concern, MAF has reported.

It seems that in this case, no news is good news.

The traps were set last September and October on more than 4000 New Zealand properties.

The trap programme costs about $2million a year.

The fruit fly trapping programme began in the 1970’s and the last time it found one was in Mt Roskill in 1996.

The gyspy moth programme, established in 1992, has only got one, in Hamilton, in 2003

MAF BioSecurity spokesperson, Rory Maclellan, says the traps are established to prove to other countries around the world that New Zealand doesn't have these pests.

"Therefore New Zealand exporters are able to ship their products around the world without needing to have specific treatments done.”

Rory Maclennan says that the two pests cover a wide threat to New Zealand’s produce and bush, and would cause serious trouble if established here.

“Fruit fly could be devastating to all of the different fruit industries in New Zealand.

"Not only does it damage the fruit and make it unmarketable, it would also close our export market to numerous other countries, and the same with the gypsy moth which defoliates the trees.

The gypsy moth eats all the leaves off but doesn't kill it straight away. But makes it much more vulnerable to disease and attack from other kinds of insects that would it would normaslly be immune to.”