Crops Affected: Cherry, apple, blueberry, walnut, plum, peach, olive, chokeberry, cranberry, hawthorn

States Affected: All states

Life Cycle: During spring or early summer, depending on the species, adult fruit flies emerge and feed briefly before egg-laying. This stage is the most susceptible for control measures. Using her ovipositor, the female punctures the fruit skin and deposits eggs individually into the pulp. Generally, only one larva matures inside a fruit, but in some species, more eggs can be laid in a single fruit. The larvae develop within the fruit, then move to the surface, fall to the ground, and burrow one to three inches into the soil for pupation and overwintering. There is one generation per year.

Damage: Fruit injury occurs as maggots bore irregular, winding tunnels inside, leading to premature fruit dropping. In slightly infested fruit, no external signs of maggots may be visible, but as the fruit ripens, dark, winding trails become apparent beneath the skin. The surface may exhibit minute egg punctures and distorted, pitted areas. Heavily infested early bearing varieties may turn into brown, rotten masses filled with fly larvae.

Season to Trap: April to July

How To Use: Hang trap with attached lure at shoulder height near at risk or affected crops. Replace lures every 30 days through the season, and replace traps when 70% saturated. Adult males are attracted to the pheromones in the lure and the color of the traps in this kit. Once they land on the sticky trap, they become ensnared, never to mate or lay eggs again.

Additional IPM Solutions: Avoid practices that destroy or disrupt native beneficial insects. To prevent overwintering pupae, use tillage to disturb the soil. Keep the orchard floor clean by removing fallen fruit and wild host trees. Install exclusion netting (1.3 mm net) on trees. Cover the soil under the tree canopy with ground cover, weed barrier fabric, or mulches to hinder larvae from burrowing or adults from emerging. For controlling adults, consider using spinosad and neem.