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.

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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.