SIR will be cooperating with the Canadian Food lnspection Agency (CFIA), Ministry of Agriculture, and BC Fruit Growers’ Association to expand the 2016 apple maggot detection efforts, on a cost-recovery basis. Apple maggot is not established in the Okanagan, but there was a single detection of the pest found in West Kelowna last summer. The CFIA will be conducting delimitation surveys around the find location and increasing the number of traps throughout the rest of the valley. SIR field staff will assist in the deployment and monitoring of traps in select areas.

The target area of the survey is the pome fruit production area of the BC Interior. Many of these locations coincide with SIR’s service area. Trapping surveys will be conducted with sticky red spheres baited with 10g of ammonium carbonate crystals. These spheres continually release a small amount of ammonium gas which attracts apple maggot flies. The traps must be placed in an area on the tree clear of foliage so they can also attract the pest visually. Staff check the traps every 2 weeks, and at the same time check the tree for signs of apple maggot damage.