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5 Smart Tips to Keep Apple Maggots Out of Your Backyard Apples

by Wade on
Pathogens and Pests Gardening Homeowner Fruit Trees

If you’ve ever bitten into a homegrown apple only to find a brown, winding tunnel inside, you’ve met the apple maggot.

This small fly lays eggs just under the apple’s skin. Once the larvae hatch, they tunnel through the fruit, turning it into a mushy mess. 

The good news? You don’t need chemicals to fight back. With a few simple habits, you can protect your apples and help stop the spread of apple maggot in B.C.

5 homeowner-friendly tips that actually work:
No 1.

Pick Up Fallen Fruit Weekly

Apple maggots develop inside fruit left on the ground. If those apples rot, larvae crawl into the soil and return next year.

What to do: Collect fallen apples every week and toss them in the garbage not the compost. Backyard chickens or birds can also help with cleanup.

Apple maggot oviposition sites (image source: WSU Extension)
No 2.

Cover Apples With Bags

Paper, plastic or nylon/poly mesh bags can block flies from laying eggs but you will need to individually bag each apple.

The material type of the bag doesn't seem to matter but the shape does matter. There needs to be space between the bag and the fruit. For this reason, try to avoid panty hose or commercial "apple socks", they have mixed results.

What to do: Slip a bag over each apple when it’s about the size of a quarter and leave it until 3 weeks before harvest. Odd-looking? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.

For detailed instructions on how to bag your apples click here.

Bagged apples protect fruit from apple maggot (image source: UofK Entomology Dept)
No 3.

Hang Sticky Traps

Red sticky spheres and yellow sticky cards help track when flies arrive. Arbutus stocks traps and cards and can even install them for you!

What to do: Place traps in your tree canopy in early summer. If you catch flies, it’s time to ramp up protection with bagging or clay spray. 

Apple maggot traps - left, yellow sticky panel- right red sphere (credit J Brunner WSU)

Tip: For hands-on support with traps or spraying, reach out to us in late April or early May so we can get you set up before peak pest season. 

No 4.

ORGANIC SPRAY WITH CLAY

Kaolin clay forms a natural barrier that deters flies. We can help you with this or you can DIY with self-sourced products.

What to do: Spray after fruit set with reapplication every 1–2 weeks or after rain. It’s safe for people, pets, and pollinators—and washes off at harvest.

Kaolin Clay (source Philadelphia Orchard Project)
No 5.

DON'T SPREAD THE PEST

Apple maggot is a regulated pest in B.C.—moving infested fruit or soil can spread it. 

What to avoid: Don’t transport apples, compost, or yard waste from infested to pest-free areas. Remove unmanaged crabapple or hawthorn trees nearby, since they often host the pest.

Apple maggot larvae (Image credit: R. Kriner Rutgers)

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you only do one thing, clean up dropped fruit. It’s the simplest, most powerful step to break the apple maggot’s life cycle.

But for the best results, combine cleanup, bagging, and natural sprays. Together, they’ll keep your apples crisp, clean, and maggot-free.autumn pples on ground (source Easy Digging)

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