black scars on cherries - Ask Extension
Hi,
We've gotten our first real crop of cherries from a cherry tree we planted a few years ago. Nearly every cherry has at least one small black (or ...
Knowledgebase
black scars on cherries #872118
Asked June 07, 2024, 4:44 PM EDT
Hi,
We've gotten our first real crop of cherries from a cherry tree we planted a few years ago. Nearly every cherry has at least one small black (or dark brown) scar on it. I've not been able to identify what this is from. There is no effect on the taste of the cherry. When I cut the cherries open, the scar seems to reach to the pit (hard to tell--but if might be coming from the pit?).
Is this normal scarring just from the cherries' growth? Or perhaps by being knocked about by the wind? Or has an insect been after them? Or is it something else?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
Lucas County Ohio
Expert Response
Hi Benjamin,
Thank you for the pictures which, along with your description of the "scar" going all the way to the pit, likely evidence an insect laying an egg through the skin and the maggot (larval stage) eating down to the pit and then leaving, all in less than three weeks. See page 110 of the Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide, a free copy of which may be downloaded from the University of Kentucky Extension: https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/mw_home_fruit_productn_b591.pdf. The article recommends hanging traps in late May and spraying a pesticide in early June. With our mild winter and early spring, that schedule was accelerated. If you use a pesticide, please be sure to follow label instructions to select a pesticide for cherry fruit flies and for application.
Thank you for your question.
Thank you for the pictures which, along with your description of the "scar" going all the way to the pit, likely evidence an insect laying an egg through the skin and the maggot (larval stage) eating down to the pit and then leaving, all in less than three weeks. See page 110 of the Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide, a free copy of which may be downloaded from the University of Kentucky Extension: https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/mw_home_fruit_productn_b591.pdf. The article recommends hanging traps in late May and spraying a pesticide in early June. With our mild winter and early spring, that schedule was accelerated. If you use a pesticide, please be sure to follow label instructions to select a pesticide for cherry fruit flies and for application.
Thank you for your question.
