Life Cycle of the Western Cherry Fruit Fly (RHAGOLETIS INDIFFERENS)
EGGS -Eggs hatch in 5-8 days after being laid. Larvae come out of the eggs and will bore into the cherry and feed until mature than come out of the cherry and fall to the ground to pupate.
LARVAE - the Larvae takes 10-12 days to become mature. They will bore out of the fruit when they are ready to be come pupae and fall to the ground.
PUPAE - Larvae will fall to the ground and within a few hours after dropping from the cherry will burrow into the soil where they will pupate and will remain until spring.
Adult Fly -The adult fly will emerge in the spring and will live up to 16-35 days. The first adult will emerge in May. It takes7-10 days for the female to become sexually mature. Each female can lay from 50 to 200 eggs in a three week period .Cherry fruit flies are lazy flyers and most will live their entire life in one host tree. Adult flies will feed on honeydew on the leaves of the cherry tree. Occasionally the females will feed on the juice from the cherries of the puncture wounds made during egg laying.
EGG LAYING - The optimum temperature for egg laying is between 75f -85f.
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