A Governor Bestowed Apples on Wildfire Victims. The Maggots Were Unintended.

During a visit last weekend to areas of eastern Washington that had been scorched by wildfires, Gov. Jay Inslee brought a personal gift: honeycrisp apples grown at the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia.

Unfortunately, the apples brought something with them as well: a pest known as apple maggots that Washington agriculture officials have worked relentlessly to keep from spreading.

A maggot outbreak could destroy orchards, shut down warehouses and ruin confidence in the state’s staple crop. Washington’s apple industry generates about $2.19 billion every year and accounts for about 70 percent of the nation’s total apple production.

When a local pest control expert discovered that there were maggots burrowed within the governor’s apples, he immediately began a desperate search for the forbidden fruit.