Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-24
The Burberry Maggot---DisCov-
cred to be Same as Apple Maggot

In the spring of 1913 the attention of
the Maine Agricultural Experiment sta
tiaon was called to certain maggot in
Testing blueberries in Washington coun-
ty. Although it was the opinion of the
growers that the berries affected were
winnowed out in the process of sorting
the berries, still their presence caused
considerable concern, and in some To-
calities it had become the practice to
discontinue canning the fruit late in the
season after the maggot became abund-
ant.
Altogether it was situation that war
ranted study both in the economic inter-
est of the blueberry industry and from
the chronological standpoint. for when
the complaints first came in no one knew
anything concerning the identity or
habits of the pest.
Accordingly the barrens were visited
and about the first of August flies with
banded wings We're found to be common
about the BURBERRY bushes. Much to the
surprise of the entomologists at the Sta
ton these flies proved to be the same
species as our common apple pest,
Rhagoletis pomonella, the larva of which
is popularity known as the railroad
worm,' on account of the trails it makes
under the skins of light colored apples.
After the middle of August it was not
difficult matter to find infested berries
on the plains. When the maggots are
small, the fruit attacked cannot be dis
tinguished from a sound one, but usually
when they have attained fair size the
fruit becomes very much shriveled. An
infested berry can easily be told by
touch, for it feels soft and mushy. and
this is the surest external indication that
it has been attacked
When the maggot becomes full fed it
leaves the berry by an irregularly shaped
hole through the skin and pupates in the
ground just as the insect does after leav-
ing an apple.
Maggoty berries We're brought to the
Experiment Station and cared for in or
der that the adult insects might be
reared. They formed pupae late in the
summer which normally would have re-
manned in the ground in that stage until
another summer. BY keeping them I'M
der warmer conditions. however, their
developments was forced and recently
adult flies began to emerge from the
pupa case which proved to be the same
species as those taken on the barrens
last summer, thus establishing beyond
doubt the fact that in Maine the masgot
which breeds in blueberries is the COM
mon apple naggot, Rhagoletis pomoneila.
This fly is smaller when developing in
blueberries than when it grows in the
apple, but otherwise there is no differ
ence This fact is not surprising as 1t is
common with insects which feed inside
vegetable matter to have their size de-
pendent upon the amount of the food
supply. The apple maggot has been re-
ported from the huckleberry in New Jer-
sew and Connecticut, but this record
from Maine is the first account of its ac-
cepting the BURBERRY as habitation.
II is too soon to predict what can be
done by way of control While the mag
COTS were common on the plains. it
should be stated that the blueberries
grow so profusely that only small per-
centage of the fruit was infested. There
seems to be no doubt that much OF the
defective fruit is winuowed out in the
process of cleaning as the infested Der
ries become shrunken and drier than the
normal ones. The common practice OF
burning over the barrens every third
year undoubtedly is very potent cause
of the BURBERRY being so comparatively
free from pests, as many insects must
be kept within bounds by this treatment.
II may be that advantage can De taken
of this method in dealing with the eiue-
berry nlaggot by burning wider areas IL
il is found advisable for berry growers
to enter into siege against this insect
in the barrens.
II is hoped that when it's habits on the
barrens have been more Thoroughly
studied some means of practical treat
ment may be suggested to help out the
situation so that it will not be necessary
to shorten the canning season on &C
count of the presence of this insect