Why apple maggot?
The apple maggot is one of the most destructive pests of apples grown in Minnesotan’s backyards. Each year this insect emerges around the first of July continues until September. This long season is a frustration for many homeowners who find the weekly spraying a real inconvenience. Ten days after emergence the female adults start laying eggs under the skin of the apple. These eggs hatch in five to ten days and become maggots that feed and tunnel through the flesh of the fruit. The larvae live three to four weeks in the apple and usually finish their development once the apple falls to the ground. At that point the maggots mature and burrow out of the apple into the soil where they remain until the following summer. Sanitation is the key to reducing the number of apple maggots in the area. Picking up and properly disposing of fallen apples prevents the apple maggot from burrowing into the ground. However, many backyard orchardists have no control over their neighbors’ apples or abandon
