Welcome to Skagit County

May 25th, 2011

Apple maggot season approaching; landowners encouraged to manage fruit trees appropriately

SKAGIT COUNTY - It is apple season again and with Skagit County's anticipated apple bounty comes an unwanted pest, the apple maggot. The apple maggot is a destructive fruit-eating insect that feeds primarily on apple, crab apple, and Hawthorne trees. The pest can even infest other soft-skinned fruit like pears, plums, and apricots. Apple maggot infestation can render backyard fruit inedible and result in a serious economic impact on both Skagit County and Washington State's fruit industry.

In Washington State, homeowners have a legal responsibility to manage insect pests that reside in backyard fruit trees. To prevent apple maggots, monitor their presence and place apple maggot traps and lures in fruit trees to detect the first emergence of the fly. Yard maintenance and cleanup is important; homeowners can eliminate apple maggot breeding grounds by picking up and discarding any fallen or infected fruit. Do not compost infected apples.

To help fight against this pest, work with the Skagit County Horticultural Pest Management Coordinator and WSU Skagit County Extension on integrated pest problems.

For more information or to purchase apple maggot traps and lures, visit the WSU Skagit County Extension office located at 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, or call Skagit County Horticultural Pest Control Coordinator Doug Karr at (360) 428-4270, ext 233.