Pest group
Flies & gnats
Small dark flies around the compost or pale tunnels inside the leaf; the larvae do the damage.
Which one do I have?
- Boxwood leafminerMonarthropalpus flavusA small orange fly whose maggots live inside boxwood leaves, raising blisters on the underside. University of Maryland Extension calls it the most significant insect pest of boxwood in Maryland. There is one generation a year, so control is about timing: prune out infested growth, and if you treat, time it to the adult flight in late April–May or the young larvae in June.Boxwood
- Apple maggotRhagoletis pomonellaA small fruit fly with banded wings, native to hawthorn, whose maggots tunnel through apples and leave brown winding trails, which is why it is called the railroad worm. Red sticky sphere traps tell you when the flies arrive, and bagging, kaolin clay and picking up drops protect a backyard tree.Apple & pear
Still not sure? Answer four questions about the damage and the picker will separate them.
macro · fungus gnats, side by side
At a glance
- Species
- 2 profiled
- Controls
- 0 beneficials
- Settings
- Garden, Field
- Crops
- 2 host crops