Cherries are one of those fruits that many look forward to every year. And since the season is relatively short, it is even more annoying when the long-awaited fruits have problems. One of them is the cherry maggots. Some people don't even suspect their presence and eat them because they are hidden inside the fruit. Only a small hole on the outside gives any indication that they are there. However, if you separate the two cherry halves from each other, you may lose your appetite. Today we would like to answer a few questions about this. How do worms get into cherries and is it bad if you eat cherries with worms? Is there anything you can do to prevent it and, if it's too late, how can you get worms out of cherries?
How maggots get into fruit
One of the big questions is “How do worms get into cherries?” Of course, these didn't develop out of nothing. They come from the so-called cherry fruit fly, which lays its eggs on the unripe fruits. After just a few days, the maggots hatch and then crawl inside the cherry, where there is plenty of food. After about 3 weeks, before they pupate, they move into the ground and overwinter there. Then, in late spring, the flies emerge and the process begins again.
Nature can only have a limited effect on cherry maggots, namely through heavy rainfall, which prevents the cherry flies from flying. Low temperatures, in turn, prevent them from multiplying.
Are the worms in cherries dangerous?
Are worms in cherries dangerous? If you accidentally eat maggots in cherries, don't panic. They will not harm your health. So you can rest assured that the maggots won't harm you if you accidentally eat them. Nevertheless, of course hardly anyone wants that. Therefore, you can remove the worms from the cherries before eating them. But what can you do about worms in cherries?
Arguably the most effective way to get worms out of cherries is to use water. More precisely, you need to put the cherries in water, so you prepare a water bath. Make sure to use a container that is large enough so that there is enough space between the fruit and the surface of the water. So you dip the cherries in water to prevent worms, but how long do they have to stay in there?
It takes about 10 minutes for the water to get into the fruit. Of course, the cherry maggots can no longer breathe and crawl out. To be sure and reallyall pestsHowever, you can wait up to half an hour to remove them from the cherries. You will then see many worms floating on the surface of the water, which you can now skim off or pour through a sieve and dispose of.
Alternatively, you can cut open the fruit and remove the maggots by hand. This is more complicated, but a good option if you want itPit the cherries anywayand want to process it further.
Preventative measures for your own garden
You can take preventative measures for cherries without worms. But what are suitable remedies for worms in cherries? Does it always have to be chemical or can natural remedies be used to address the potential problem and guarantee an organic harvest?
The good news is: You don't need to spray your cherries against worms. Here's what you can do instead:
- Nematodes against cherry fruit flies– They eat the larvae before they can pupate. However, they need to be used a few times to be effective. Morenatural enemiesThat you can encourage are parasitic wasps, ground beetles and spiders, while chickens, for example, eat the pupae from the ground and swallows eat the flies.
- DieDo not allow maggots to migrate into the soilto prevent pupation and reduce the plague in the coming year. To do this, you can stretch foil around the tree (also attach it well to the trunk). Better yet is a transparent fleece so that the lawn underneath continues to receive enough light.
- Thecorrect harvest time– if you harvest the fruit a little earlier, the cherry worms cannot crawl into the ground and overwinter. They interrupt your life cycle.
- CollectImmediately pick up and dispose of fruit that has fallen on the ground to combat cherry maggots.
- Delay the flies from hatching, either by mulching the area around the tree or for a longer period of timewith the first mowingwait. The result of this is that the ground warms up later and the pupae remain there for a longer period of time. As soon as they hatch, the fruits are already red and the cherry fruit flies can no longer find places to nest.
- Hang yellow boardsthat the flies stick to. You can carry out this method in May when the cherries are still green.
- Early cherry varietiesare naturally protected against maggot infestation as they turn red before the cherry fly nesting season begins.
If the preventative measures have no effect or are not feasible for any reason, the only remaining option is spraying. But remember that this also harms all the beneficial insects in your garden and nature in general and should only be used in extreme cases.
