Cherry fruit fly

Worms in cherries? Who hasn’t ever heard of this scourge... The insect responsible for the maggot or worm in the cherry is called Rhagoletis cerasi. It is a small fly, about 5 mm long, with a yellow spot on its abdomen. The wings are marked with black bands.

Cherry fruit fly flights occur from April to June (this is the period when pheromone traps should be installed). During this period, females lay eggs in the cherries. The larvae drop to the ground a few weeks later, burrow slightly, and then emerge as an adult fly next spring.

Choose early varieties of cherry trees to avoid attacks. As for traps, you can use yellow chromatic sticky traps. A special fruit fly pheromone trap and a suitable pheromone will also be effective. (Allow 1 to 3 traps per tree.) Finally, as soon as you have caught flies, treat using a natural insecticide. Warning: once the larva is in the fruit, it’s too late! Happy harvesting!