admin – Page 3 – Blueberry Field Guide

Mites

Two Spotted Spider Mite

(Tetranychus urticae) Damage: Spider mites feed on the underside of the leaves, and can be found on older leaves as well as near the shoot tips. Lightly infested leaves become speckled; heavily infested leaves become bronzed and covered with webbing. Spider mites are a sporadic pest in blueberries and are rarely seen in most fields. Mite populations build up during the heat of summer, and can be more prevalent in hot dry locations. Mites can reside on weeds within blueberry fields. Pest: Two-Spotted Spotted spider mites are yellowish-greenish with two dark spots on the back. They vary in size from near microscopic to clearly visible. These mites overwinter as orange females in the soil near the plant.

Spider Mites On Blueberry LeafCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Spider Mites and Eggs On Blueberry LeafCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Spider Mite DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Spider Mites DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Vertebrate Pests

Bird Damage

(European Starlings, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Crows and other)
Birds (European Starlings, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Crows and Others)
Damage: Berries have wedge- shaped punctures with sections of internal flesh missing.

Bird DamageMark Sweeney

Bird DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Bird DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Vole Damage

(Microtus townsendii)
Voles (Field Mice)
Damage: Voles feed on roots and crowns. Bushes are weakened and may appear stressed for water or nutrients. Young plants may die. Holes and tunnels in the soil within the row are the most visible sign of rodent activity.
Pest: Voles are rarely seen. They are dark brown, have short legs, a short tail, a rounded head and small ears and eyes.

Townsends VoleDoug Ransome, BCIT

Townsends VoleDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole Runways and HolesDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole RunwaysDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole HoleDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole HoleDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole HoleDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole DamageDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole DamageDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole GrindingDoug Ransome, BCIT

Vole Tunnel In RootsDoug Ransome, BCIT

Weevils

Clay Coloured Weevil

(Otiorhynchus singularis)

Clay Coloured WeevilCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

Green Immigrant Leaf Weevil

(Polydrusus sericeus)

Green Immigrant Leaf WeevilCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

Strawberry Root Weevil

(Otiorhynchus ovatus)

Strawberry Root WeevilJim Troubridge, AAFC

Rough Strawberry Root Weevil

Rough Strawberry WeevilCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

(Otiorhynchus rugosostriatus)

Black Vine Weevil

(Otiorhynchus sulcatus)

Black Vine WeevilCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

Adult Black Vine WeevilJim Troubridge, AAFC

Obscure Weevil

(Sciopithes obscurus)

Obscure WeevilCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

Damage: Larvae feed and girdle the roots and crown causing mature plants to decline. Young plants may be killed. Adult weevils feed on foliage resulting in ‘notching’, however, this does not usually affect the plant.
Insect: Adult weevils are wingless and have narrow snouts. They range in size from 5-12 mm, depending on species. Black vine weevil adults are the largest and can be up to 12 mm long. Rough strawberry root weevils are 8-10 mm long. Clay coloured and Obscure weevils are 7-9 mm long. The smallest is the Strawberry root weevil at 5-7 mm long. Each species is distinctly coloured. Green immigrant leaf weevil is shiny green and can fly.
Adult weevils climb the bushes to feed at night. During the day they rest near the soil surface and will play dead when disturbed. Clay coloured weevil adults chew buds, strip bark and girdle one year old wood from March to May. Leaf notching from June to September is normally caused by Black vine and Obscure weevil adults. Strawberry and Rough strawberry weevils tend to be more active in spring and fall, and remain protected in the soil during the hot summer months. Adult of Green immigrant leaf weevil make small feeding notches on newer leaves both high and low on the plant, and are active in fields during the day and evening. Larvae are up to 12 mm long, white with tan heads, and are found near the crown or roots of blueberry bushes. Larvae do not have legs, but are somewhat mobile in soil. Larvae hatch from July-September and spend the winter in the soil. Eggs are laid from spring to fall, with the peak occurring July-August.

Weevil Damage on TwigCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Damage on Bud.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Notching on Leaf.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Notching on Leaf.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Notching on Leaf.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Notching on Leaf.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Larva.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil Larva.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Weevil damage on roots. Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

Weevil damage on roots. Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult.

Root decline caused by weevils.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Plant decline caused by weevils.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Plant decline caused by weevils.Carolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Slugs & Snails

Slugs and Snails

Damage: Slugs and snails leave slime trails on leaves and fruit. They may become a contaminant in machine harvested fruit.
Insect: Slugs are slimy, legless, slow-moving mollusks of varying colours and sizes up to 10 cm long. Snails are similar in description, but have a protective shell.
NOTE: No common pest in blueberries

Snail

Slug

Scales & Mealybugs

Lecanium Scale

(Parthenolecanium spp.)
Damage: Scale insects suck on plant sap and can weaken plants and cause twig dieback. Sticky honeydew is secreted from scale insects and may drip onto fruit and leaves. Black sooty mould can develop on the honeydew.
Insect: Females appear as 2-5 mm, oval-shaped, brown bumps attached to one year old stems. Males are small, fly-like insects and are rarely seen. White eggs are present in May-June underneath the scales. Eggs hatch into crawlers (nymphs) that move to the leaves to feed. In late summer, nymphs move back to the stems to overwinter.

Scale InsectsCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Scale InsectsK. Sakalauskas, BCBC

Grape Mealybug

(Pseudococcus maritimus)
Damage: Mealybugs suck plant sap and reduce plant vigour and terminal growth. They also secrete honeydew, which promotes the growth of sooty moulds that can make fruit unsuitable for the fresh market.
Insect: Adults can be up to 5 mm long, flat, oval shaped, and have a white waxy covering with wax filaments sticking out from circumference of the body. Longer filaments from the posterior end make these mealybugs appear to have “tails”.
NOTE: No common pest in blueberries

MealybugTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Mealybug Black Sooty MouldTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

MealybugKarina Sakalauskas, BCBC

MealybugKarina Sakalauskas, BCBC

MealybugKarina Sakalauskas, BCBC

MealybugTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

MealybugTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Tentiform Leafminers

Tentiform Leafminer

(Phyllonorycter spp.)
Damage: Leafminer larvae create transparent blotches or serpentine line patterns on the underside of leaves. The leaf surface appears bubbled. Leafminers are rarely seen in blueberry fields.
Insect: Pale yellow caterpillars feed and tunnel between the layers of the leaf. Leafminer damage can occur throughout the summer.

Tentiform LeafminerCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Tentiform LeafminerCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Caterpillars – Fruit Feeding

Cherry Fruitworm

(Grapholita packardi)
Damage: Larvae feed in developing (green) blueberry fruit by creating a pinhole entrance in the calyx area. Larvae feed and develop inside one to two berries causing webbing and tunneling, and shriveled areas on fruit. Infested fruit often drop off before harvest, but if not, are difficult to sort out in fruit processing. Larvae exit the fruit in late July or early August, and can contaminate flats with their presence.
Insect: Eggs are small, flat, and oval, and laid singly on the calyx of green fruit. Larvae are pale or pink with brown heads. Larvae exit fruit and look for overwintering sites on trees, and form cocoon, where they will pupate in spring. Adult moths are small, mottled grey and about 5 mm in length, with a wingspan of about 9.5 mm. Hind wings are two-tone, dark closer to body, and pale farther from body. There is one generation per year.
NOTE: Cherry Fruitworm has only been detected in a few BC blueberry fields.

Cherry Fruitworm EggTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cherry Fruitworm EggTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cherry Fruitworm EggTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cherry FruitwormTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cherry Fruitworm LarvaKristine Ferris, ES Cropconsult

Cherry Fruitworm Damage HolesKristine Ferris, ES Cropconsult

Cherry Fruitworm DamageTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cherry Fruitworm DamageTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI-I

Cranberry Fruitworm

(Acrobasis vaccinii)
Damage: Larvae feed in developing green fruit. They enter the fruit from the stem end, so entrance holes can be clearly seen. One larva can destroy three to six fruit Messy feeding sites, with external sawdust-like frass and webbing, are characteristic of fruit damaged by cranberry fruitworm.
Insect: Eggs are white, oval, and laid in the calyx of green berries. Larvae are green with a dark head, about 9.5 mm long when mature. Adult moths are about 12 mm long, dark grey with white 2 triangle markings per wing. Wingspan is about 15 mm.
NOTE: Damage only seen in cranberries in BC, no damage in blueberries.

Cranberry Fruitworm EggTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cranberry Fruitworm MothTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Cranberry FruitwormTracy Hueppelsheuser, BCAGRI

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)

Spotted Wing Drosophila SWD

(Drosophila suzukii)
Damage: Female flies lay eggs in ripening fruit. Larvae feed within the fruit, turning the flesh brown, soft, and leaky. Damage can provide an entry site for infection by secondary diseases. This injury results in unmarketable fruit and economic loss.
Insect: SWD look similar to other vinegar flies. Adult flies are 2-3 mm in length, with red eyes, tan-colored body with darker bands on abdomen. Males have characteristic single spots on each of its wings along the 1st vein and two dark combs on their front legs. Females lack wing spots and leg combs, but are distinguished by a robust, saw-toothed ovipositor (visible under magnification). Larvae are white, and legless, as are all Drosophila larvae.

SWD FemaleSheila Fitzpatrick

SWD MaleSheila Fitzpatrick

SWD On BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Larva on BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Larva on BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Larva on BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Larva on BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Damaged BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Damaged BlueberryCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

SWD Blueberry DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Sawflies

(Caliroa cerasi)
Damage: Sawflies feed on the underside of older leaves, but rarely cause significant damage.
Insect: Larvae are pale green and shiny with a somewhat hidden black head. Sawflies are 4-7 mm long. They resemble slugs. Sawfly larvae appear in April-May and again in July-August. Adults are small black wasp-like insects that can be seen resting on or flying around plants in June.
Note: Rarely seen in blueberries

Sawfly Larva & Typical Feeding DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Sawfly Larva & Typical Feeding DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Sawfly Larva & Typical Feeding DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Midge

Blueberry Gall Midge

(Dasineura oxycoccana)
Damage: The top 5-10 mm of new shoot tips turn black and shrivel. This can result in excessive branching of new growth.
Insect: The adult is a small fly which lays its eggs on new shoot tips. Larvae emerge and can be found clustered inside the tips. They are 1-2 mm in length, clear, white or orange maggots with no legs or markings. Damage occurs from June through September. Larvae feed on new growth by piercing plant tissue, resulting in distortion, blackening, and death of new tips. Midge overwinters as pupae in the soil. There can be up to 4 overlapping generations during the growing season.

Midge DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Midge DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Madge DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Midge DamageCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

Midge LarveCarolyn Teasdale, ES Cropconsult

About admin

Two Spotted Spider Mite

Bird Damage

Vole Damage

Clay Coloured Weevil

Green Immigrant Leaf Weevil

Strawberry Root Weevil

Rough Strawberry Root Weevil

Black Vine Weevil

Obscure Weevil

Slugs and Snails

Lecanium Scale

Grape Mealybug

Tentiform Leafminer

Cherry Fruitworm

Cranberry Fruitworm

Spotted Wing Drosophila SWD

Sawflies

Blueberry Gall Midge