Rhagoletis Pomonella
Cherry growers thought they’d heard the worst news possible when, in the late summer, traps in West Kelowna discovered an apple maggot fly. Sukhpaul Bal, president of the BC Cherry Association says it’s still in the early stages of analyzing the pest’s threat. He says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will increase its monitoring of the situation and advise growers and others in the industry of any new findings.
Apple maggot attacks cherries, making them brown and inedible. It is one of the quarantine pests noted in the trade agreement cherry growers have with China. Because of this, growers already have what Bal describes as, “a rigorous trapping system. There are quite a few traps in the orchards now because you have to be on [top of] that for shipping to China.”
It’s the first time an apple maggot has been found in the Southern Interior region, although Bal notes apple maggots are well established in the quarantined Lower Mainland and Peace regions. The fear of having the pest spread into non-infected areas has seen a ban placed on the transport of residentially-grown tree fruit from quarantined areas to non-infected regions. Unfortunately, the ban is not well known.
“The notice [about the discovery of the single apple maggot] has gone out to all our trading partners,” Bal says. “Now the CFIA goes through their next steps. Everything is fine for next season. There is no change in 2016 for growers.”
Cherry growers have had a long-time battle with the cherry fruit fly and the same tools may work against the apple maggot if a problem does arise.
“What I’m told is that the same chemistry and pesticides that we’re using could control apple maggot,” Bal confirms.
It’s still too early to jump on board with an increased control program for the pest though. Bal has been told the CFIA’s next steps are to set up more traps in the area of the first sighting, increase monitoring and provide more education.
“We may find that this is a one-off and we don’t see it emerge and that would be the best news,” says Bal. “They’ve [the CFIA] let us know what the plan is so far. We’re happy to hear that they are including us in it.”
Action will be reviewed on a season by season basis. Thanks to strong monitoring practices, if more apple maggots are found, growers will be early into the fight with a plan in place.