Walnut Husk Fly Rhagoletis suavis Loew    
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Diptera   >   Family Tephritidae   >   Genus Rhagoletis   

Status:

The Walnut Husk Fly is found throughout eastern North America.

Description:

"The Walnut Husk Fly breeds and lay eggs in the husks of nearly mature walnut fruits in early autumn. The larvae burrow into and feed on the husk, producing black, slimy husks that stain and stick to the shell. The maggots can sometimes be seen crawling in the husks."

"Husk maggots and husk flies do not penetrate into the nut, so the taste and color of the nutmeat are not affected. However, the slimy nature of the husks reduces their value to commercial nutmeat producers because the husk is difficult to remove. The infested husks also make the nuts unattractive and undesirable to the private walnut grower." (USDA Forest Service General Technical Report NC-57)

Relationships:

The Walnut Husk Fly feeds on the fruit of Black Walnut.

There are 11 records in the project database.

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A female Walnut Husk Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/3/2018). Photo by Steve Scholnick. (MBP list)

A Walnut Husk Fly in Frederick Co., Maryland (9/9/2016). Photo by Mark Etheridge. (MBP list)

Walnut Husk Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/10/2022). (c) Stephen John Davies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Stephen John Davies via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Walnut Husk Fly in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/10/2022). (c) Stephen John Davies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Stephen John Davies via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Walnut Husk Fly in Frederick Co., Maryland (7/23/2019). Photo by Mark Etheridge. (MBP list)

A Walnut Husk Fly in Harford Co., Maryland (10/7/2016). Photo by Dave Webb. (MBP list)

Walnut Husk Fly in Howard Co., Maryland (8/11/2017). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

A male Walnut Husk Fly in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/6/2020). Verified by Ross Hill and John F. Carr/BugGuide. Photo by Dave Webb. (MBP list)

A Walnut Husk Fly in Baltimore Co., Maryland (7/24/2017). Determined by V. Belov/BugGuide. Photo by Emily Stanley. (MBP list)


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