Cherry fruit fly

Rhagoletis cerasi

1. Identification

• Common name: Cherry fruit fly
• Scientific name: Rhagoletis cerasi L.
• Order: Diptera
• Family: Tephritidae

2. Pest description

• Adults 4–5 mm, glossy black body, yellow head and yellow scutellum.
• Wings with a characteristic pattern of dark bands.
• White larvae, apodous, develop inside the fruit.
• Brown pupae, formed in the soil.
• White eggs, laid beneath the cherry epidermis.

3. Main hosts

• Cherry tree.
• Sour cherry tree.
• It may occasionally attack other Prunus. species.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Small egg-laying mark on the fruit epidermis.
• Soft, discoloured pulp due to larval feeding.
• Fruits with larvae become unfit for consumption.
• Premature fruit drop.
• High economic losses in table varieties.

5. Biological cycle

• One generation per year.
• Adults emerge in late spring or early summer.
• Oviposition in fruits at the start of ripening.
• Larvae feed for 2–3 weeks.
• Pupation in the soil, where they overwinter.
• Emergence synchronised with fruit development.

6. Monitoring

• Yellow chromotropic traps with specific attractants.
• Weekly counting of captured adults.
• Observation of symptoms on the fruits.
• Fruit sampling for larva detection.
• Intensive monitoring between May and July.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: collection and destruction of infested fruits; superficial soil tillage to expose pupae; early harvesting in sensitive varieties.
• Biological: conservation of natural parasitoids; application of entomopathogenic nematodes to the soil.
• Integrated protection: continuous monitoring; targeted treatments when thresholds are reached; use of mass-trapping traps; judicious application of authorised insecticides; proper orchard management to reduce pupation sites.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Rhagoletis cerasi.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Rhagoletis cerasi.
• Daniel, C. & Grunder, J. (2012). Integrated management of cherry fruit fly.
• Boller, E. (1966). Biology and ecology of Rhagoletis cerasi.