BLUEBERRY MAGGOT 



William E. Tomlinson, Jr. 

 Cranberry Experiment Station, East Wareham 



Increasing problems with maggoty berries have been of much 

 concern to growers of cultivated blueberries recently. Blueberry 

 maggot is primarily a ripe-fruit pest that attacks the crop most 

 heavily at the peak of the picking season and after. Fruit in 

 netted plantings is particularly vulnerable because it is often 

 allowed to remain unpicked longer for full ripening and sizing 

 than berries in un-netted plantings. 



Blueberry maggot is a true native insect that has fed on wild 



blueberries for thousands of years, 

 of all kinds and possibly other wild 

 eating this host picture is the fact 

 tical to the blueberry maggot except 

 this size difference is not reliable 

 the larger-fruited blueberry hybrids 

 these maggots were the same species 

 adapted to different hosts. 



It also attacks huckleberries 

 smal 1 -berried plants. Compli- 

 that the apple maggot is i den- 

 that is is smaller, and even 

 when the maggots develop in 

 It is more than likely that 

 originally but have become 



i ts h 

 near 

 the m 

 in la 

 p a r i a 

 in th 

 or mo 

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 a pi a 

 wheth 

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 betwe 

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 berry 

 it sp 

 and s 



The bl 

 ost. 

 the so 

 aggot 

 te Jun 

 , feed 

 e ri pe 

 re in 

 nt cha 

 nti ng . 

 er the 



3 wee 

 en 1 ay 

 aggot. 



and d 

 ends t 

 hape 



ueberry 

 The ins 

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 fed upo 

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 for ab 

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 the fie 

 nee for 



Eggs 

 berry 

 ks pi us 

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 When 

 rops to 

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 f a ker 



maggo 

 ect sp 



un 

 At 

 Ju 

 10 



ace 

 n . 

 rly 

 out 

 p e n i n g 

 Id and 



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 hatch 

 is in 



or mi 

 the eg 

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the g 

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t i s 

 ends 

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 abou 

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 days 

 f rui 

 lay 

 val 

 in 2 

 the s 

 nus a 

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 ggot 

 round 

 his i 

 whea 



admi r 

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 he bl 

 t the 

 he fl 



to 2 

 t. I 

 200-3 

 fan 

 to 7 

 un or 



few 



the 

 has f 



and 

 s tan 

 t. 



ably ac 

 inter a 

 ueberry 



time b 

 ies beg 



weeks 

 n d i V i d u 

 00 eggs 

 1 nf esta 

 days de 



shade . 

 days, s 

 finish 

 i n i s h e d 

 constru 



in col 



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bush 

 e r r i e 

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so t 

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 p e n d i 

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 tha 

 of fe 



feed 

 cts i 

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ted t 

 aggot 



whi c 

 s beg 



emer 

 hen s 

 ies m 

 hat t 

 once 

 ng on 



magg 



tat 



edi ng 

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 d is 



sur 

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 here 

 es tab 

 temp 

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 4 w 

 by t 

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vi val 



pupar 



d the 



turn 



om the 



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ve a m 



i s an 



1 i shed 



eratur 



age 1 a 



eeks e 



he res 



ves th 



i n wh 



the s 



on 

 i a 



berry 

 red 

 se pu- 



eggs 

 onth 

 ex- 



i n 

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 sts 

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i ch 

 i ze 



The insect is even adapted to crop failures due to frost or 

 whatever else might happen to kill a prospective crop. Up to 25% 

 of the hibernating larvae do not transform to flies until the 

 second to fourth summer after entering the soil, assuring a con- 

 tinuing infestation without a yearly crop. These are known as 

 carry-over flies. 



Blueberry maggots are typical fly maggots: white and legless 

 like those of the house fly. Their injury is not spectacular until 

 well advanced. The newly hatched maggots feed largely in the cen- 



