Insect Pests

Aphids

Ericaphis fimbriata

Several species of aphids colonize blueberry bushes. However, this is the most important species. Aphids spread Blueberry scorch virus, but rarely cause direct crop damage. Aphids secrete sticky…

Caterpillars – Fruit Feeding

Grapholita packardi

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…

Caterpillars – Leaf Feeding

Operophtera bruceata & O. brumata

Caterpillars feed in early spring on flower clusters, green berries and leaves.

Caterpillars – Tent Forming

Malacosoma disstria & M. californicum

Fully enclosed tents or silken mats are built from May to June by groups of hundreds of caterpillars. Entire branches or bushes can be defoliated.

Midge

Dasineura oxycoccana

The top 5-10 mm of new shoot tips turn black and shrivel. This can result in excessive branching of new growth.

Sawflies

Caliroa cerasi

Sawflies feed on the underside of older leaves, but rarely cause significant damage.

Scales & Mealybugs

Parthenolecanium spp.

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.…

Slugs & Snails

Slugs and snails leave slime trails on leaves and fruit. They may become a contaminant in machine harvested fruit.

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)

Drosophila suzukii

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…

Tentiform Leafminers

Phyllonorycter spp.

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.

Vertebrate Pests

Berries have wedge- shaped punctures with sections of internal flesh missing. Vole Damage (Microtus townsendii)

Weevils

Otiorhynchus singularis

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…