Organic Control of Some Orchard Insect Pests - By Xander Rose

A second fruit fly monitoring season in my work in the orchards at Raintree has come to a close. Certain flies can be significant pests of orchard fruit, but they can also be monitored and controlled to minimize damage to fruit. As someone who went to graduate school to study insects (among other ecological, forestry, and agricultural topics), the scientist in me is super happy to be studying these and other insects at Raintree. The most wanted flies for us, in terms of significance in being a threat to fruit production, are apple maggots and Suzuki fruit flies.

Key to any success in controlling a pest is understanding its biology and natural history. Apple maggots (Rhagoletis pomonella) and Suzuki fruit flies (also known as spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii) are non-native to the Pacific Northwest. In the case of the apple maggot, some flies evolved to switch hosts from native hawthorn in northeastern North America to apples introduced by Europeans. This is a fascinating story of sympatric speciation, occurring in the last 200 years, that I would recommend the curious reader look into further.

Apple maggots are such important pests that the state of Washington has a quarantine law to protect the valuable apple orchards of eastern Washington from them. The apple maggot has figured out how to hide its larvae (maggots) away from predators in a large, protective food source. Flies emerge in the late spring as the ground warms from overwintering puparia (protective coverings of the middle life stage), mate, and then females lay their eggs into apples. Large, red apples seem to especially attract them on warm afternoons. The larvae develop in apples, which, being larger than hawthorn fruits, offer better protection from parasitoid predators like wasps. Adult apple maggot emergence is staggered through the summer and fall, meaning that flies emerge throughout the apple ripening season. The maggots mature in the fruit and then crawl out from ruined and rotting fruit that has fallen to the ground, going underground to pupate overwinter. This life cycle provides clues as to how to control apple maggot. It’s not by targeting the feeding larvae hiding in your apples! Perhaps the emerging adults could somehow be distracted or trapped? What of the ground fruit that may contain maggots about to crawl underground?

Fig 1. An adult apple maggot

Read our complete blog here https://raintreenursery.com/blogs/pnw-edible-plant-blog/organic-control-of-some-orchard-insect-pests 

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Need help finding a tree? Raintree Nursery is the perfect place for anyone looking to buy fruit trees online. We offer varieties of fruit trees, berries, unusual edibles, ornamentals & supplies for the American Gardener! Visit and get 20% Off all trees bundles.

Raintree Nursery is a well established wholesale and mail order nursery in the US. We pride ourselves on having one of the most extensive offerings of rare and unique trees from everywhere throughout the world.

If you are new to growing fruit trees, feel free to call us, and we will help you get started on your journey.

Here are a few photos of the products we deliver:

Strawberry plants for sale

It is named for the round, mealy yet edible strawberry colored fruit that ripens in the fall and winter. Self-fertile. One gallon plant.

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This variety exhibits high disease resistance, drought tolerance, and adaptability to many soil types. Grows 4-10 ft. Tall with a 3-4 ft. 

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An Autumn Olive from British Columbia selected for it's abundant production of flavorful fruit. 

Self-fertile. 1 Qt Pot. 

Victoria Plum for sale

This new rare Cherry and Plum cross from Australia. It has a delicious combination of Cherry and Plum flavor. The fruit is firm, sweet and juicy. 

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Assortments of organic product tree available to be purchased 

Raintree Nursery is here to provide a range of home-grown plants and trees to build your outdoor garden space. These plants are well-suited to grow in your lawns, backyard, and garden area. 

Discover our selection of wild trees that yield organic fruits and nuts. Raintree Nursery is a proud provider of Forest trees, indigenous trees with edible fruits and nuts suitable for all ages.

Visit our site to Buy olive trees online from an extensive range of organic plants we offered. Now grow all these tasty fruits and plants at home and let Raintree Nursery help you grow your green space.

We also provide a range of organic fruits which covers a large selection of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, hybrids, currants, and gooseberries together with many acid-rich plants like blueberries and cranberries.

Other nurseries may claim to offer to give you the 'largest range accessible' however the reality may reflect otherwise. But at Raintree Nursery, we welcome you to visit our nursery and choose your favorite plants and tree by yourself. 

Each year we grow and add new - and old - varieties of fruit plants and trees like apple, pear, plum, cherry, and strawberries (Strawberry plants for sale).

We supply quality stock for planting all year. The products are usually dispatched within a 3-5 days time period! Stock is bare-root during the dormant season, and supplied as container-grown or ex-container during the growing season - so you can plant our organically grown trees whenever you want to!

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