Federal inspectors are keeping an eye out for a pupating pest that could be big trouble for the North’s favourite wild fruit.
The good news is Rhagoletis mendax -- more commonly referred to as the blueberry maggot -- has yet to make an appearance this far north.
But that doesn't mean it won't show up, and it explains why the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is actively monitoring sites around Sudbury for evidence of the insect.
Harold Carmichael recently chanced upon a set of bug traps in Garson while doing a bit of berry picking. The sticky yellow sheets, attached to tomato cones, were accompanied by notices from CFIA asking the public to leave them in place, as their purpose is to "locate new infestations of plant pests."
Lisa Murphy, a media relations officer with the agency, said there are 10 such traps in the Sudbury area and each is in place to check for the blueberry maggot.
"The traps are designed to attract both male and female flies when they first emerge from the ground," she said in an email. "If a suspect fly is found, the trap is sent to the CFIA's entomology lab for official identification."
The maggots don't threaten human health, she said, but they will camp out inside the berries, gorging on the fruit and grossing out anyone who happens to encounter a maggoty handful -- or mouthful.
They also mean the fruit can't be sold, which is a huge problem for commercial growers of blueberries.
"Maggots can infest both low-bush and high-bush blueberries, making the fruit unmarketable," Murphy communicated. "Infestations may also result in yield reductions and increases to production costs."
"As far as I know it's not a problem here, so we'll deal with it if and when it does become one," he says. "I don't think it's an issue right now, and we'll see what the future brings."
