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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #255991
Title: Infestation of apricot by Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Washington state and British Columbia

Author
item Yee, Wee
item THISTLEWOOD, HOWARD - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item KLAUS, MICHAEL - Washington Department Of Agriculture

Submitted to: The Pan-Pacific Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/15/2010
Publication Date: 12/20/2010
Citation: Yee, W.L., Thistlewood, H.M., Klaus, M.W. 2010. Infestation of apricot by Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Washington state and British Columbia. Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 86:100-103.

Interpretive Summary: Western cherry fruit fly is primarily a pest of cherries in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S, but it also may attack fruit of other economically important plant species. Personnel at the USDA-ARS Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory in Wapato, WA are determining cherry fruit fly-host plant relationships. They found that cherry fruit flies infested fruit of backyard apricot trees at two sites in Washington state and one site in British Columbia. Infestations in apricot fruit were very low and occurred in trees near unmanaged cherry trees. The results suggest infested cherry trees grown near apricot trees should be treated to prevent potential infestations of apricot fruit by cherry fruit flies.

Technical Abstract: Western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Tephritidae), is native to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and British Columbia in Canada and is known to attack and develop in the fruit of 12 plant species in nature. Here we report that R. indifferens in nature infests yet another plant, apricot, Prunus armeniaca L., in residential trees in Washington, U.S.A. and British Columbia, Canada. In 2009, we obtained two puparia from 2,868 apricots in Walla Walla, Washington, two puparia from 2,265 apricots in Yakima, Washington, and seven puparia from apricots in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Four R. indifferens adults were reared from the puparia - one each from Walla Walla and Yakima and two from Kamloops. At all three sites, the infested apricot trees were near unmanaged cherry trees. Infestation of apricots by R. indifferens may be rare, but it seems widespread in the arid interior of Washington and British Columbia in residential apricot trees planted close to residential cherry trees.