TreeHelp Product Suggestions: Apple Maggot Trap
Apple maggot injury to apple Colorado State University Extension

The apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) is a potentially serious pest of apple as the maggots (larvae) tunnel the fruit, creating characteristic dark tracks. Infested fruits also are prone to spoilage. 

Apple maggots spend the winter in the pupal stage around the base of apple trees. The adult flies emerge in midsummer, typically between mid-July and early August, and lay eggs on the fruit. There is only one generation per year.

Apple maggot flies can be trapped with yellow sticky boards or red sticky spheres (super apples), the latter developed specifically for this insect. These traps are useful for timing sprays to control the insect, with sprays timed to coincide with periods when the flies are being captured. Furthermore, the use of several red sticky spheres per tree also can provide substantial control of this insect by killing adult females before they lay all their eggs.

Information provided by Colorado State University Extension Service

Back to Crabapple Tree Insects and Diseases

TOP