The best methods against the pests

Which maggot species are relevant here

In our part of the world, there are only a handful of types of maggots that occur frequently and can cause significant damage. Maggots only refer to the insect larvae of two-winged birds, which mainly include species of flies. The following are particularly relevant for the local garden culture:

• Cherry fruit fly
• Cherry vinegar fly
• Walnut fruit fly

the Cherry fruit fly, the Cherry vinegar fly and the walnut fruit fly, as tree and shrub fruit pests, have relatively similar lifestyles and infestation cycles. All of them have a one-year life cycle and can therefore cause recurring anger over the years.

In general, the following measures are recommended for combating:

• Collection and collection of all infected fruits
• Covering trees / shrubs with insect protection nets
• Install traps
• Lay out the floor protection fleece
• Natural predators

Collection and collection of infested fruits

Since the maggots are in the fruits and sometimes pupate there, harvesting and picking up from the ground is a first, direct and logical way to contain them. Do not dispose of the fruit on the compost, where the maggots can develop and hibernate, but in the Organic waste.

Cover the plants with insect protection nets

This method is very effective, but with larger trees it is also quite time-consuming. It is mainly used in agricultural fruit growing. However, if you're primarily dealing with cherry vinegar flies in smaller berry bushes, it can be a viable solution. Due to the close-knit fabric of the nets, the adult flies cannot get through and are thus effectively prevented from laying eggs.

Of course, the flight time of the identified pest species must be taken into account here. Set up the nets accordingly in good time. Yellow boards can also help with “monitoring”.

Falling

Yellow boards, on the other hand, serve less as traps; their catch rate is simply too low. Other traps such as pheromone traps or vinegar water washing-up bottles hung in bushes and trees can at best contain the infestation somewhat and reduce the mating rate. However, they are well suited for inventory control and subsequent, adapted control measures.

Floor protection fleece

This method is very effective because it prevents pupated maggots in the ground from hatching and can significantly slow down the development of another generation of pests. Place the fleece under a tree or shrub that was infested last year before the pest hatches. It keeps the hatching imagos on the ground and can also kill them in hot weather. The method is of no use with cherry vinegar flies because they overwinter as fully grown flies and not as pupated maggots in the ground.

Natural predators

The targeted use of beneficial insects is particularly useful against cherry vinegar flies and cherry fruit flies. Parasitic wasps,(€ 69.90 at Amazon *) Birds such as swallows and swifts, ground beetles, but also free-range chickens that peck the maggots out of the ground, are helpful pest decimators.