Species Rhagoletis cingulata - Eastern Cherry Fruit Fly

Cherry maggot (the larva)

Author: Loew

4 to 5 mm long

Black with yellow margins on the thorax; white scutellum; yellowish tibia and tarsi; transverse and oblique black markings on the wings; four white crossbands on the abdomen

From Michigan to New Hampshire, southward to Florida, over the entire middle and eastern region of the United States and in southeastern and south central Canada.

It is of Nearctic origin and has been introduced accidentally in Europe.

the fruits of Rosaceae (Prunus serotina (primary native host) and 6 other spp.)

Adults emerge from the ground when cherries are half grown, feed on moisture on leaves and fruits at first. Lay eggs, up to 400 eggs. Larvae hatch in five to eight days and tunnel directly to the surface of the cherry seed. They pass through three instars at an average of 11 days at 77°F.

University of Florida