This being a limited crop year here in the Northeast may justify making no effort at containing apple maggot fly. However, the few fruit on Gravenstein, Zestar, and other late summer varieties have been hit hard. My sole harvest task now is to get those fruits picked and disposed, especially any and all drops. Every maggot in an apple takes 3 to 9 days once that fruit drops to go from the safety within to reach the species imperative of soil pupation . . . and that alone sets the stage for AMF to return the next season in a big way. Call it "harvest hyygiene" if you wish but it's the scouring of the orchard floor twice a week for early drops that makes pressure from this persistant pest far more manageable. Get out there, folks.
Lost Nation OrchardZone 4b in New Hampshire
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2012 02:47PM by Michael Phillips.