Governor Inslee brought maggot-infested apples to wildfire zone

Governor Inslee unknowingly brought maggot-infested apples to wildfire zone

A nice gesture quickly turned sour in Douglas County this week, as Washington Governor Jay Inslee unknowingly gifted apple maggot larvae-infested honey crisp apples to those in Bridgeport, Malden, and Omak on September 12.

According to a Facebook post by Douglas County, the apples were grown in the governor’s mansion in Olympia and tested positive for apple maggot larvae in Omak.

A closeup of the apple maggot larvae- infested apple. (Douglas County, WA / Facebook)

The county is now “desperately seeking the help of all Bridgeport and Douglas County residents or anyone who may have any information to help us locate the apples that were brought to Bridgeport.”

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So far, the whereabouts of the apples can only be traced to the Foursquare Church where they were left shortly after 11 am. They have not been seen since.

The county has been unable to find a contact with knowledge of their location, and there is “reason to believe that they may have been dumped in a local orchard or transported with other, non-contaminated apples from the area.”

A closeup of the apple maggot larvae- infested apple. (Douglas County, WA / Facebook)

If left undiscovered, the pests could have “dire consequences” for the orchardists of Douglas County.

Thurston County is currently an Apple Maggot quarantine area but Douglas County is not. State law reads that bringing homegrown apples into a pest-free zone is a misdemeanor, however, the Department of Agriculture rarely issues citations and instead focuses on education about the quarantine laws.

If you have any information about the location of the tainted apples, please contact Will Carpenter, Chelan-Douglas Horticultural Pest and Disease Board Director at 509.667.6677 or by email.