Circular No. 3. 



May 1907 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



THE APPLE MAGGOT OR RAILROAD WORM 



Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh). 



BY C. E. HOOD, B. S. 



This insect pest is a native of America and first began to attract 

 attention because of its injury to apples about 1867. It originally 

 fed upon the hawthorn, but unfortunately for fruit-growers has 

 acquired the habit of feeding on the apple though contrary to the 

 original belief, it does not restrict itself to early varieties, but is 

 found on both early and late kinds. 



It was first noticed injuring fruit trees in Vermont, Massachusetts 

 and Connecticut. It is now found from Maine to North Carolina 

 and also in some of the western states as Minnesota and Wisconsin. 



The apple-maggot much enlarged, a, adult male fly ; 3, adult female fly; t, maggot. 

 Fine lines show the true size of these stages. 



The adult of the Apple-maggot is a two-winged fly, somewhat 

 similar to the common house fly, but smaller. It is easily recog- 

 nized by its general black color, yellowish head and legs, dark feet, 

 three pairs of white bands across the abdomen and four black bands 



