Blueberry IPM in Florida

Oscar E. Liburd, PhD

Associate Professor

Entomology and Nematology Department University of Florida

Chronological Order of Blueberry pests

Blueberry bud mite

Cranberry fruitworm

Blueberry gall midge

Flea beetle

Flower thrips

Spotted wing drosophila

Flower Thrips, Frankliniella bispinosa

Ovipositional Injury

•Travel along wind currents• Multiple generations per year

Size of thrips populations in relation to flower phenology

Days after blooming

0 5 10 15 20 25

Ave

rag

e #

of T

hri

ps c

ap

ture

d

0

50

100

150

200

250

x column 1 vs y column 1 Col 1 vs Col 2

10 70 20901

Percentages of opened flowers

Flower thrips (left); Chilli thrips (right) (Scirtothrips dorsalis)

Injuries resulting from chilli thrips

Management of thrips

Monitoring for adultsWhite sticky boardsfloral tapping on white paper

Conventional insecticidesDelegate 3-6 oz per acre (biological Insecticide)

Malathion (organophosphate)

Assail (Neo-nicotinoid) Organic insecticide

Entrust

Blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson)

Blueberry gall midge

Management of blueberry gall midge

Monitoring for adult emergenceBucket traps

Conventional insecticidesDelegate 3-6 oz per acre (Biological Insecticide)

Malathion (organophosphate)

**Assail (Neo-nicotinoid) Organic insecticide

Entrust, Pyganic

Blueberry bud mite, Acalitus vaccinii (Keifer)

The mite is whitish, elongate and very small (1/125 of an inch long)

Feeds on the under-scale of buds

Blueberry bud mite injury

Bud scale under dis Mcro.

Confused with frost damage Fewer fruits with Pimpeling

Management of blueberry bud mite

Removal of infected branches through pruning

Pruning old canes

Post-harvest application insecticide/miticides such as endosulfan

Summer oils

Cranberry Fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii Riley

Cranberry Fruitworm

Larvae are light green with a dark head capsule

Mature larvae are about ½ inch in length

Silk webbing

deformed

Management of cranberry fruitworm

Monitoring for adults

Conventional Insecticide

Delegate

Assail

Confirm 2F (tebufenozide)

Organic Insecticide

Entrust

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Blueberry maggot

Management of blueberry maggot

Monitoring for adults

Conventional Insecticide

Assail

Imidan

Organic Insecticide

Entrust

Monitoring trap for BMF

Several generations per year

Larvae develop inside fruit Fruit becomes soft and un- marketable

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Management of Spotted Wing Drosophila

Monitoring for adults

Conventional Insecticide

Delegate

Mustang

Organic Insecticide

Entrust

Monitoring trap for SWD

Bait Solution Spotted Wing Drosophila

Yeast-Sugar Bait Solution Recipe:

2 teaspoons of bakers yeast4 teaspoons of sugar2 cups of water Mix and pour ≈1 ½ inches of yeast bait into cup

Flea beetles in Blueberry

Colaspis pseudofavosa Damage

Blueberry leaf beetle

Flea beetles in Blueberry

Systena frontalis Damage

Red-headed flea beetle

Management of flea beetles

Monitoring for adults

Conventional Insecticide

Assail

Mustang

Organic Insecticide

Entrust

Monitoring for flea beetles

Common Beneficial Insects

Coleoptera

- Coccinellidae; lady beetles

- Carabidae; ground beetles

Aphids

thrips

Weed seeds

Lepidoptera eggs

Bigeyed bug, Geocoris spp. Minute pirate bug, Orius spp.

Hemiptera

Common Beneficial Insects

Green lacewingsHover or Flower flies

Common Beneficial Insects

Neuroptera Diptera

Acknowledgements

Small Fruit and Vegetable IPM Lab

Florida Blueberry Growers Association for our funding research

oeliburd@ufl.edu

(352) 273-3918

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/liburd/fruitnvegipm/