Rhagoletis indifferens, the westerncherryfruitfly, is a pest that lives only on cherries. Its native host is Prunus emarginata. Cherryfruitfly adult (E. Beers, June 2007). The westerncherryfruitfly is a key pest in all cherry growing regions of the western United States. It is native to North America and was reported attacking commercial cherry in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1900s. Do You Know?Westerncherryfruitfly is the primary insect pest of sweet and tart cherries in Utah.Damage occurs from the larva developing inside fruit and feeding on the flesh. Cherryfruitflies overwinter as pupae in the top 2-5 cm of soil under cherry trees. Adults are present from late May into August, generally peaking from early to mid-July, depending upon location. Black cherryfruitfly adults begin emerging 1-2 weeks before westerncherryfruitflies. The westerncherryfruitfly is an economically important pest of sweet cherries in the western United States.Sweet cherries infested with westerncherryfruitfly larvae were collected from several sites along the Yakima and Columbia River valleys in 2012–13. WesternCherryFruitfly- Pupae overwinter in the soil and can remain dormant in the soil for up to 3 years. Adults emerge in May and continue into August. Adults lay their eggs in developing cherries. Westerncherryfruitfly. Rhagoletis indifferens Curran. Immature on host.White maggots infest cherries. The mature maggot makes a hole in the cherry as it exits. In the Northwest, the westerncherryfruitfly infests both home-grown and commercial cherries. Goals / Objectives Develop new methods and approaches to manage cherryfruitflies and cherry orchards. Project Methods Discover insect life history traits that are vulnerable to manipulation and conduct experiements to reduce fly populations. Documents Trust with WTFRC. Adult westerncherryfruitflies are smaller than house flies, with black bodies marked with white bands. The flies are weak fliers and usually land on the nearest cherry tree. Westerncherryfruitfly, Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a specialist on cherries in higher latitudes or elevations in western North America that exhibits a obligate pupal diapause requiring chilling before adult development can occur. A. You are describing the Westerncherryfruitfly.They infest both sweet cherries and sour cherries. The small adult flies are distinctive because their wings are clear with black markings across the wings. They deposit their eggs in the cherryfruit as they are just beginning to ripen. CherryFruitFly and WesternCherryFruitFly. Beneficial nematodes applied to the soil under cherry trees have provided 80 to 88% control of fruitfly pupae, which may provide sufficient control for the home grower. Westerncherryfruitfly (Rhagoletis indifferens) is a native pest to North America which can cause significant damage to soft fruit crops including cherries. The westerncherryfruitfly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), is an endemic herbivore of bitter cherry, Prunus emarginata (Douglas ex Hooker) Eaton, but ∼100 years ago established on earlier-fruiting domesticated sweet cherry, Prunus avium (L.) L. Here, we...
