Apple Maggot
The Apple Maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) is a pest of several fruits, especially apples. It also goes by the name of railroad worm. The fly is slightly smaller than a house fly, with a white dot on its thorax and distinctive black banding shaped like a backwards letter “F” on its wings. The larva, which is the damaging stage of this pest, is similar to a typical fly larva or maggot. Codling moth larvae and other apple ‘worms’ are often confused with the apple maggot. In general, however, moth larvae, i.e. caterpillars, feed mostly in the apple’s core whereas apple maggots feed on the flesh portion of the fruit.
Additional Information:
- Apple Maggot (Cornell pdf; includes Apple Scab also)
- Apple Maggot (University of Minnesota Extension)