writes:

It's gonna be tough growing apples and actually getting any usable fruit
without using pesticides. I spray mine with "Fruit Tree Spray" every 2
weeks after petal drop until late July. Then I spray them twice with
Diazinon to control apple maggots, and I stop spraying them after that.
I only have one tree. I need to investigate "integrated pest
management", or whatever it's called, because I still get too much

Bob,

I'd be very interested in whatever you do regarding the apple maggots. I
try not to use chemicals in my yard, even those that are "good" and am
interested in continuing that. However, I am tired of picking up hundreds
of worm houses each fall when my apple trees are such good bearers. To
get even one pan of applesauce is far more work than it's worth, even as
good as it is, and I don't have a horse to use the apples for treats. The
birds, squirrels, etc. can only eat so many. Even the chickens stopped
eating them last fall and won't touch apples at all now though they loved
them the first few weeks.

If even 75 percent were worm-free, I'd have more apples than I could give
away. Having grown up in apple country (eastern Washington) makes it even
more distressing to see them go to waste.

Glenna
Seven apple trees, not one full box of edible apples :-(

Glenna Rose wrote:

writes:

It's gonna be tough growing apples and actually getting any usable fruit
without using pesticides. I spray mine with "Fruit Tree Spray" every 2
weeks after petal drop until late July. Then I spray them twice with
Diazinon to control apple maggots, and I stop spraying them after that.
I only have one tree. I need to investigate "integrated pest
management", or whatever it's called, because I still get too much

Bob,
I'd be very interested in whatever you do regarding the apple maggots. I
try not to use chemicals in my yard, even those that are "good" and am
interested in continuing that. However, I am tired of picking up hundreds
of worm houses each fall when my apple trees are such good bearers. To
get even one pan of applesauce is far more work than it's worth, even as
good as it is, and I don't have a horse to use the apples for treats. The
birds, squirrels, etc. can only eat so many. Even the chickens stopped
eating them last fall and won't touch apples at all now though they loved
them the first few weeks.

If even 75 percent were worm-free, I'd have more apples than I could give
away. Having grown up in apple country (eastern Washington) makes it even
more distressing to see them go to waste.

Glenna
Seven apple trees, not one full box of edible apples :-(

Here's something I just found at U of MN:

"'Maggots for Lunch... No More' is the title of a new 13-minute
videotape produced by Larry Zilliox and Jeff Hahn of the University of
Minnesota Extension Service. This is an entertaining and educational
video demonstrating the production of high quality apples that are free
of apple maggots. The process eliminates the need to use insecticides
all summer long to control the apple maggot fly. The videotape can be
purchased from the University of Minnesota Distribution Center by
calling (800) 876-8636, or (612) 624-4900. Ask for item number
VH-07655-GO."

And this link was on the item number:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/catalog...html?item=7655

Best regards,
Bob

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"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d0941018f7e5a3b9aca0076193125.18f7e84@p mug.org...
writes:
... I'd be very interested in whatever you do regarding the apple maggots. I
try not to use chemicals in my yard, even those that are "good" and am
interested in continuing that. However, I am tired of picking up hundreds
of worm houses each fall when my apple trees are such good bearers. To
get even one pan of applesauce is far more work than it's worth, even as
good as it is, and I don't have a horse to use the apples for treats. ...

A couple of years ago I got one BOWL of apples out of my 5 apple trees!! I
feel your pain.

I got an idea from a fruit group... at about the 1st of June when the
blossoms are losing their petals and starting to turn to apples go to the
grocery store and get some very cheap apples. We went to Costco. Then take
some copper wire (or any ol' wire to wrap around the apple to hang on the
tree). Shape to hold an apple... then apply Tangle Foot (the sticky bug
catching stuff). Hang on your trees... a few to a tree (I did two per
espaliered tree).

The scent of the apple attacted the fruit flies... and then they got STUCK.
After a bit you have to remove the sticky apple (I was lazy and waited until
September... only a few were disgusting, and those were the ones I strung
the wire through, not around).

I actually had decent harvest of apples.

Now if only I could do something with the current fruit flies.