I Would Appreciate Nice Organic Apples This Year!

In my “huge” suburban bungalow backyard, I have a glorious apple tree. A ‘Belmac’. In my “huge” eco-garden, I grow organic apples. Organic ‘Belmac’s. But, one tiny problem persists… the apple maggot.

The ‘Belmac’ apple tree is a variety developed in the 1990s and promoted for its high resistance to scab. At the time, I found that incredible, that’s the apple tree I deliberately chose for my small suburban backyard. And in terms of disease resistance, it fully meets expectations.

The Apple Maggot, an Obstacle To Beautiful Organic Apples

Even though my apple tree is very disease-resistant, it’s not at all immune to insects. Every two years (because my apple tree produces every two years), 90% of the apples I harvest are “pricked”. And the culprit is the apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella).

It’s not that bad. I set aside the nicest apples to eat fresh, and store some of them in the refrigerator to enjoy over the winter. (The ‘Belmac’ makes a very good storage apple.) As for the damaged apples, they enter into the thousand and one transformation and cooking projects initiated by my fabulous “Apple Party”.

I can assure you that by harvest time, the insects have long since left the fruit. And while these apples aren’t necessarily pretty, they’re perfect for pies, compotes, and various jellies. So, the fact that they’re damaged has very little impact.

However, sometimes only a quarter or half of the apple is unusable because the damage is too advanced. How can we limit the damage? To waste less… and make more pies and applesauce!

Know Your Enemy

This is, of course, the best way to combat the apple maggot. Where are its weaknesses?

The apple maggot is a true fly and looks just like a housefly. The only notable difference is that its wings are striped black and white. It appears around the end of June, just as the apples start to grow. This is when it lays its eggs just under the apple’s skin. With good eyes, you can see a tiny red dot on the skin. It’s said that a fly can lay about 200 eggs, but it rarely lays more than one egg in the same apple. I tend to agree with this observation, as it’s rare to find more than one network of tunnels per apple.

From this egg hatches a small white larva that will not reach more than 8mm (1/4 inch) in length. This larva feeds on the flesh of the apple by digging small tunnels. After 20 to 30 days of mining, the larva drops to the ground where it transforms into a pupa. The pupa is the transformation stage between the larva and the fly. A bit like the cocoon of a butterfly. This pupa spends fall, winter, and spring in the soil, at a depth of 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches).

And finally, towards the end of June, the adult emerges from the soil and the cycle begins again. Luckily, there is only one cycle per year.

Take Action

With this knowledge in hand, you can see that it is possible to intervene at different stages of the apple maggot’s life. For example, if the apple tree is in a flowerbed, a light hoeing of the soil in fall or spring can bring the pupae to the surface and make them more vulnerable to predators.

Since the larvae are found in apples, mainly in July and August, any apple that falls to the ground before its time must be quickly collected and placed in the brown bin. This prevents the larvae from completing their diet and easily accessing the soil for metamorphosis into the pupal stage.

And finally, between the end of June and mid-July, adult flies can be trapped.

The Solution: A “Beer Pong” Cup?

A fly only has the IQ of a fly! It’s red, it smells like apples… it’s an apple! And that’s how we outsmart the little rascal. In orchards, fake red plastic apples are used, coated in glue, to draw in the apple maggot. Attracted by the color, the flies land on them with the intention of laying eggs… and there they are, caught.

For several years now, it has been discovered that the famous red plastic cup used for Beer Pong, so ubiquitous at our family parties, also has the attractive power of the fake apple. The glue required to coat the trap is quite easily found on the market.

From late June to late August, approximately 4 to 5 traps are set per apple tree. Each fly that gets stuck is one less likely to lay its eggs on the actual apples.

With these three modes of action (hoeing the ground in spring and autumn, quickly picking up apples that have fallen and setting up a game of sticky “beer pong”), it is hoped to significantly reduce the damage caused by the apple maggot. I don’t expect to completely wipe out the species. Besides, I prefer cohabitation. But, if I could increase my percentage of usable apples in cooking, my applesauce stash could sustain me until September. Because, I’ve just devoured the last spoonfuls of my last jar. And it’s May.