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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417672
Research Project: Integrated Approach to Manage the Pest Complex on Temperate Tree Fruits

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Infestation of rose (Rosa spp.) by Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh, 1867) and Rhagoletis basiola (Osten-Sacken, 1877) (Diptera: Tephritidae) across diverse ecosystems in Washington state, U.S.A

Author
item MILNES, JOSHUA - Washington Department Of Agriculture
item Yee, Wee
item Rose, Alexander
item GOUGHNOUR, ROBERT - Washington Department Of Agriculture
item BUSH, MICHAEL - Washington Department Of Agriculture
item FEDER, JEFF - University Of Notre Dame

Submitted to: The Pan-Pacific Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/28/2025
Publication Date: 6/27/2025
Citation: Milnes, J.M., Yee, W.L., Rose, A.C., Goughnour, R., Bush, M.R., Feder, J.L. 2025. Infestation of rose (Rosa spp.) by Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh, 1867) and Rhagoletis basiola (Osten-Sacken, 1877) (Diptera: Tephritidae) across diverse ecosystems in Washington state, U.S.A. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 101(2):200-213. https://doi.org/10.3956/2025-101.2.200.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3956/2025-101.2.200

Interpretive Summary: Apple maggot fly is a quarantine pest of apple in WA state. Roses are a host of apple maggot fly in the northeastern U.S., but roses have not been recorded as a host in WA state. Personnel at USDA-ARS in Wapato, WA, Washington State Department of Agriculture in Yakima, WA, and the University of Notre Dame in IN determined whether apple maggot fly infests roses in WA and also infestation rates of rose maggot fly in various rose species in the state. Apple maggot was found infesting one type of introduced rose in western WA for 3 years at low levels, while rose maggot fly infested four types of roses, more heavily in eastern than western WA. Limited infestation of roses by apple maggot fly, unlike by rose maggot fly, is important because it suggests rose is currently not a big threat as a source of apple maggot flies that could infest apple orchards in eastern WA.

Technical Abstract: Rugosa rose, Rosa rugosa Thunberg (Rosales: Rosaceae), native to China, was infested by Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh, 1867), and Rhagoletis basiola (Osten Sacken, 1877) in eastern North America in the 1970s. However, R. rugosa has never been identified as a host of either fly in Washington State, U.S.A. In addition, surveys of R. basiola in different roses across diverse ecosystems in drier eastern versus more humid western Washington assessing the fly’s tolerance to arid environments have not been conducted. Here, we report six adult R. pomonella reared from R. rugosa surveyed in 2020, 2021, and 2023 at a site in western Washington. Rose surveys at other sites in eastern and western Washington where R. pomonella is present detected only R. basiola in R. rugosa, native Rosa nutkana Carl Presl and Rosa woodsii Lindley, and introduced Rosa canina L. Rhagoletis basiola was found in rose hips across humid coastal forest, dry ponderosa pine, mountain forest, sagebrush, and bunchgrass ecosystems, with infestation levels higher in eastern than western Washington. From highest to lowest, infestation levels for the different rose species, in general, was R. rugosa > Rosa nutkana > R. woodsia >R. canina. Findings here suggest (1) R. rugosa is found in western Washington, so is not a threat as a fly source to commercial apples in eastern Washington; (2) R. basiola is better adapted to dry climates than R. pomonella; and (3) the abundance of R. basiola infesting roses in Washington is affected by both regional climate and rose species.