Like Upper Wenatchee Valley Quarantine, Experts Suggest Apple Maggot Zone For Methow Valley

Western Chelan County – Peshastin, Leavenworth, Plain, Lake Wenatchee – is considered an apple maggot quarantine area. Now a working group with the state Department of Agriculture has recommended an apple-maggot quarantine for the Methow Valley after the discovery of dozens of adult flies and larvae — indicating a reproducing and established population of the devastating pest.
While adult apple-maggot flies have been found in the Methow for a decade, the discovery of larvae crystallized the threat. A quarantine would mean that people could not transport home-grown apples to uncontaminated areas. There would also be restrictions on green waste and trash brought to the Twisp transfer station to keep the pest out of the county landfill.
For now, the quarantine is just a recommendation by the Apple Maggot Working Group of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, which must hold a public comment period and public hearing before making a final decision. No quarantine would be imposed on the rest of Okanogan County.
KOHO’s Ken Johannessen reports.