A suburb in New Zealand’s largest city is in a fruit and vegetable lockdown after a single male Queensland fruit fly was found in a trap.

But the find in Auckland’s Devonport does not mean New Zealand has an outbreak of the species, Biosecurity New Zealand spokesperson Catherine Duthie said in a statement on Friday.

It was vital to find out if the insect was a solitary find or if there was a wider population, she added.

The pest that has caused great damage to crops in Australia has been detected six times before in northern New Zealand, but only once did it turn out to be a part of a wider breeding population. Biosecurity successfully eradicated that 2015 outbreak.

“If it established here, the Queensland fruit fly could have serious consequences for New Zealand’s horticultural industry,” Duthie said.

“It can damage a wide range of fruit and vegetables and could lead to restrictions on trade in some of our horticultural exports.”

Devonport residents were asked not to move any fruit or vegetables from their homes while field crews began work.

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries says the fruit fly is a “major and frequent pest.” The insect lays eggs in fruit and the larvae feed in the flesh, causing rot to “develop rapidly”.

The trapped insect most likely arrived in New Zealand in fresh fruit and vegetables, despite passengers entering the country undergoing strict border controls, BNZ said.