biwa
Senior Member
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:15 am
Location: Virginia, zone 7

Flies gathering on weak beech and plum saplings?

I recently planted a bunch of saplings in my yard and two of them, a plum tree and a beech tree, haven't budded yet. I worry they might be dead. Both the beech and the plum are covered in small flies that I've never seen before. I'd like to understand more about these flies so that I can either save these two trees or prevent their future replacements from meeting the same fate.

Some images of the flies:

[url=https://img3.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?2d01487786.jpg][img]https://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.2d01487786.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://img3.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?ae8fdd5ffa.jpg][img]https://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.ae8fdd5ffa.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://img3.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?32612c2a5d.jpg][img]https://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.32612c2a5d.jpg[/img][/url]

What are these flies? Why are they on my trees? Are they damaging the trees? If so, how do I get rid of them?

biwa
Senior Member
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:15 am
Location: Virginia, zone 7

Now the flies are still on the two trees, but they're dead. I didn't kill them, so I've got no clue why they're dead. There's a bunch of dead flies on my trees.

Lindseyup67
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:54 pm
Location: upper michigan

I also had the same thing happen, and have found them to be seedcorn maggots. Apparently they do not harm your trees in any way. Hope this helps. Lindsey
https://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG271/corn_sorghum/seedcorn_maggot.html

biwa
Senior Member
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:15 am
Location: Virginia, zone 7

That's really gross. I don't understand how they are harmless though. The site says they mostly attack seeds, not trees, but if I find them on a tree doesn't that mean they attacked the tree?



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