Maggots in cherries can spoil your appetite - but do they really pose a health risk or can you eat them? And how can the worms be removed from the fruit? With the following tips, every hobby gardener can drive away the larvae and fight the adult cherry fruit flies in the soil.
Is it safe to eat maggots in cherries?
In July the time has come: our cherry tree bears dark red cherries, which we like to harvest and eat directly from the tree. It happens that every now and then we discover maggots in cherries and ask ourselves whether it is dangerous. In addition, to be honest, I find the larvae in the cherries quite disgusting and would rather get rid of them. I have therefore decided to carry out in-depth research this year and find a solution to the problem.
But for now: Maggots in cherries are not said to be dangerous to people. This means that even if you happen to eat one or two cherries with worms, you won't get sick. When chewing, the insects are crushed and when they enter the stomach, they becomeincluding cherriesdecomposed.
However, if you want to make jelly or jam from the cherries, it is better to remove the maggots first. This extends their shelf life.
How to remove maggots from cherries before eating?
The worms we find in cherries are actually the larvae of the cherry fruit fly. The pest is tiny - the fruit fly grows to a maximum size of 5 mm and only attacks cherry trees. The flies wait until the cherry trees have produced fruit and lay their eggs in these fruits. As the cherries ripen, the larvae hatch and then help themselves directly to the delicious pulp of the cherries.
My grandfather said that if I...Maggots in a cherryI think that means the fruits are really good and have not been treated with pesticides. I don't know if this is really the case, but to be honest I have very, very rarely found maggots in cherries from the supermarket. Maybe I was just lucky.
But when we bought the house a few years ago and harvested the cherry tree for the first time, we immediately noticed that we were struggling with an infestation. Every cherry had a maggot in it. Then I started to put the cherries in a deep pot after rinsing them and pour cold water over them. I always wait about an hour, throw off the water and fill the pot with cold water again so that it completely covers the fruit. Leave the cherries in the water for another hour, then rinse well - and voila - the worms have left the fruit and been thrown away with the water.
Recipes for sprays against cherry fruit fly in the soil
I also plan to finally get rid of the cherry fruit flies this year and save time and effort in the kitchen. For this purpose, I have three recipes for homemade cherry fruit fly sprays. The first is intended to successfully combat the pests, the second has an antibacterial effect and supports the tree's rapid healing and the third prevents re-infestation.
First, however, I covered the area around the tree with fleece and regularly collected all the cherries, leaves and twigs that fall off. This way I can prevent the larvae from pupating in the ground around the tree. I don't plan on covering the cherry tree with a special net next year.
Make your own natural herbicide against cherry fruit fly
A friend of mine, who has had fruit trees in his garden for more than 30 years, shared a recipe with me. The cherry fruit fly remedy works great for him and I hope I can achieve similar results in my garden soon.
He simply mixes 1 cup of compost tea, 1 teaspoon of liquid seaweed fertilizer, 1 teaspoon of molasses, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of oil soap. Dilute the whole thing with 4 liters of water and fill the solution into a garden sprayer. The home remedy is used to treat all above-ground components as well as the soil around and under the tree. The treatments take place on a sunny day. You need to spray the cherry tree every four days for the next two weeks. You can then spray the tree with the protective spray (see recipe below).
Make your own spray with tea tree oil against cherry fruit flies and their larvae
If he also wants to cure a bacterial disease, then he adds 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil. It has antibacterial properties and can also help with fungal diseases. In addition, the tea tree oil should adhere well to the leaves, so that the home remedy can work longer and better. By the way, you can also use this to treat the tree after summer pruning - so the cuts heal faster and better.
Prevent cherry fruit flies in the soil
As a preventive measure, you can spray the tree regularly with a mixture of one cup of vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons of liquid soap. The mixture is dissolved in 4 liters of water and filled into a spray bottle. The bottle is shaken vigorously before each use and the soil in the root area is treated. Prevention can begin when the cherry tree comes out of winter dormancy in spring. So I should start next year and spray the tree every three weeks from about April to September.
Cherry fruit flies and their larvae are among the uninvited guests in your own garden. In order to permanently eliminate them, certain protective measures should be taken. These include, among others:
Cover the ground around the tree with fleece and collect fallen fruits, leaves, flowers and other plant parts. Prune the tree and spray with a cherry fruit fly spray. Next year, treat the tree as a preventive measure before the end of the winter break.
