Sour Cherries Spoiled on Tree - Ask Extension
Hello -
It seems that overnight all of the cherries on our tree spoiled. This is the 3rd year our tree has fruited and the first with a substantial ...
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Sour Cherries Spoiled on Tree #578156
Asked July 08, 2019, 8:43 PM EDT
Hello -
It seems that overnight all of the cherries on our tree spoiled. This is the 3rd year our tree has fruited and the first with a substantial number of cherries; last year there were four cherries.
The image of the cherries on the branch is from July 4. The cherries in the strainer are from today. The first cherry fell off the tree yesterday.
What might have happened to our crop?
Thank you
Scott County Minnesota
Expert Response
They are cherry tree maggots. It takes about 2 weeks for damage to show and it is always just as the cherrys ripen. Some gardeners find that picking the cherries just before they are fully ripe so that the damage by the insect is not yet visible.
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef217
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef217
