European Cherry Fruit Fly

European cherry fruit fly prefers sweet cherries and honeysuckle, but may also attack tart cherries.

Adults typically emerge from May to July and have an average lifespan of 2 to 4 weeks. Females usually lay one egg beneath the skin of each piece of fruit. Once they hatch from the eggs, the larvae develop inside the fruit and feed for up to 6 weeks. As the larvae develop, they damage the fruit pulp. Mature larvae exit the fruit through emergence holes, drop to the ground, and burrow into the soil. Once in the soil, they pupate within a few days and overwinter in the soil underneath or near the host plant.

European cherry fruit fly has the potential to infest 100% of sweet and tart cherry crops causing cherries to be unmarketable. With a value of about $767 million for sweet cherries, and $106 million for tart cherries in the U.S., infestation could cause large economic losses for growers as well as possible quarantines.