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IMPORTANT INSECT PESTS OF MASSACHUSETTS CULTIVATED BLUEBERRIES 



William E. Tomlinson, Jr. 

 Cranberry Experiment Station, East Wareham 



During the pruning operation in late winter and spring, be 

 sure to remove and destroy any i nsect stem galls that are present. 

 This is a pest of certain varieties more than others and can cause 

 serious reduction in fruiting shoots on the Jersey variety and 

 some others. If the removal is reasonably thorough and performed 

 every year, any injury it causes will be ^ery minor. There is no 

 insecticidal control known for this pest. 



Several species of s cale insects infest blueberry. As a rule, 

 old rough-barked canes a>e most seriously attacked and are the 

 source of infestations that spread to the younger parts of the 

 bush. Systematic removal of some of the older canes during prun- 

 ing each year is not only a good pruning procedure, but it will 

 help prevent scale build-up in a planting. If, however, scales 

 do become serious, a dormant or delayed dormant superior oil spray 

 before growth starts in the spring, or malathion sprays when crawl- 

 ers hatch in early June, will control them. 



Also, during the pruning operation be on the watch for evi- 

 dences of blueberry stem borer attack. Though infested canes 

 should be removed below any signs of boring whenever noticed, be 

 on the watch for their characteristic, elongated, orange-colored 

 excrement pe llets under infested canes when pruning. Locate the 

 cane that is being attacked and remove it. If the borer is farther 

 down in the crown, probe for it with a wire or slender twig to be 

 sure it is killed. 



After the fruit buds swell but before the blossoms open, check 

 for the presence of cranberry weevil and currant fruit weevil on 

 bushes near the edge of the planting on quiet, warm sunny days. 

 These are both long snouted beetles only about 1/16 inch long. 

 The cranberry weevil is dark reddish-brown with a few scattered 

 white scales on the wing covers, whereas the currant fruit weevil 

 is a uniform light reddish-brown color. The cranberry weevils feed 

 on and lay eggs in the unopened blossoms within which the grub 

 hatches and feeds. The currant fruit weevil feeds on the small 



