Apple Maggots and the Asparagus Beetle
I don’t even like the name of Apple Maggots, but you need to learn about all types of pests in order to deal with them properly. This little fruit fly is found in fruit orchards around the country. The apple maggot is also known as the railroad worm, the fruit fly and as, at best, a pest.

Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The adult apple maggot is just a bit smaller than a normal fly and can be black, black with yellow stripes, or black with a yellow belly. The apple maggot first appears during the summer months between May and August. The apple maggot is a worm that makes a home under the skin of the apple, and then when it hatches turns into a fly landing on other apples and laying other eggs that will then affect your fruit.

One of the best ways to fight off the apple maggot it to make sure you clean up any dead apples lying on the ground in the fall. If you have any apples left on the tree and for some reason they refuse to fall, make sure that you get them down so they don’t make a good home for any other apple maggots later.

The asparagus beetle is a strange little creature that is both blue and black, looking like it has a thin coat of oil over its shell. The asparagus beetle usually has four white dots on its back and only grows to be about 1 inch long. The asparagus beetle is often seen in the early potions of the summer from May through June. You can tell the asparagus beetle has been around when your plants are looking a bit chewed on and there is a black sticky substance left on the plants.

Covering your plants with a netting or cheesecloth is going to be a preventive measure that you can take in the early spring months. If you find that your garden is heavily damaged by these little creatures turn to Rotenone dust to kill off these pests.