The Apple Fly

Last year we had a bumper crop of apples. Unfortunately, they were inedible. Pock- marked, dimpled and discoloured. they fell to the ground, and even the squirrels seemed uninterested.

I recalled seeing red spheres hanging from an apple tree when we visited the Annapolis Royal Gardens in Nova Scotia. I emailed the experts there and described my problems to them, and was delighted to receive a reply from Karen Achenbach, a Horticulturist who identified what I had seen when I visited, as "Apple Fly Maggot Traps." They are red plastic balls, that when painted with glue, and when a lure is hung, attract the pest that is responsible for my failed crop. The Apple Fly lays an egg in the developing apple which causes dimpling and puckering. When the egg hatches, the larva tunnels into the apple leaving brown streaks in its wake.

I managed to locate a supplier for these traps in the States and hung them this morning. Hopefully I will be able to harvest some healthy organic apples this fall. These traps are pesticide free. My only hope is that we do not trap any beneficial insects, but as the tree is no longer in bloom, I am hopeful that this will not happen.