How to spot it

Tiny fruit flies; the males have a dark spot on each wing. The larvae are small white maggots inside ripe fruit.

What it does

Unlike other fruit flies, it lays eggs in ripening fruit still on the plant. Berries turn soft, leak, and collapse.

What to do now

• Pick every day or two and chill the fruit right away.
• Throw out damaged fruit in a sealed bag, not the compost.
• To check, soak a few berries in salt water for 15 minutes: larvae float out.

Keep it away next time

• Cover bushes with fine mesh netting as the fruit starts to color.
• Prune for airflow and pick up fallen fruit.
• Grow early varieties that ripen before it peaks.

Helpful supplies

Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Plants it affects