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How to check nectarines for bugs

Does it need checking? It is not commonly infested in the USA, and infested on the outside and inside in Israel. Summer fruits are sometimes infested and should be checked well before eating. Fruit from private gardens is more infested. (Rav Moshe Vaya)

Rav Vaya’s rating

USA✓not commonly infested (muchzak k’naki)
Israel★ ☆infested outside and inside

Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 938 (Nectarine)

Which bugs

  • Grey scale insects (kinim) on red spots on the skin. These are rare.
  • A small worm inside the flesh. It can enter through a dark spot or small hole in the skin, or near the stem. (Rav Moshe Vaya)

How to check

  1. Look for grey scale insects on red spots on the skin. If there are any, scratch them off lightly with a fingernail or a knife. The red spot itself may be eaten.
  2. Look carefully at the skin. If you see a dark spot, a dark dot or a small hole, peel the skin there. Check for signs that a small worm entered at that spot.
  3. Make a cut across the top of the fruit, near the stem. Look to see if a worm entered from there.
  4. Cut into any soft or dark areas. Fold them outward and look carefully for a small worm inside the flesh. Worms tend to slip back into the fruit and disappear when exposed.
  5. It is good to eat it ‘with a knife in hand’: cut a piece, look at it, then eat it, and so on. (Rav Moshe Vaya)

Sources

  • Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 938 (rating).
  • Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha: summary sheet “How to Find Worms in Summer Fruits” (published by Machon Aliya).
  • Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha: summary sheet “Washing Fruits and Vegetables” (published by Machon Aliya).
  • cRc: Dried nectarines with no added flavors do not need to be checked for insect infestation. (Fruits & Vegetables Checking Guide)

Related

References: cRc — Fruits & Vegetables Checking Guide · Rav Moshe Vaya — “How to Find Worms in Summer Fruits” (Machon Aliya, Hebrew) · Rav Moshe Vaya — “Washing Fruits and Vegetables” (Machon Aliya, Hebrew)

Source: Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, p. 938