fruit and stems of the fruit where the eggs are laid. When the 

 eggs hatch the grubs tunnel into the berry and feed in the devel 

 oping fruit. Currant fruit weevil grubs are frequently still 

 present in small shrivelled fruit in early pickings. 



In spite of their small size, 

 often do cause serious crop losses 

 one becomes established in a field 

 crease in severity year after year 

 pi i e d . 



both of these weevils can and 



Once an infestation of either 

 it is likely to persist and in- 

 until control measures are ap- 



Two applications of methoxychlor or Guthion, the first when 

 weevils are first found and repeated once before opening of bloom, 

 control s both . 



As soon as the blossoms begin to drop and berries begin to 



enlarge, they are subject to attack by cranberry fruitworm , cherry 



f rui tworm , plum curculio and currant fruit weevils if the~last was 

 not controlled earlier. 



PI um curcul i o is a rough sculptured snout beetle about a 

 quarter of an inch long, mottled with dark brown, black, yellow 

 and white scales. Though its crescent shaped oviposition scar is 

 occasionally noticed on blueberries in Massachusetts, it is not 

 serious enough here to require spraying for it alone as it some- 

 times is in New Jersey and North Carolina. 



Cranberry fruitworm and cherry fruitworm often seriously at- 

 tack the green immature blueberry fruit in Massachusetts plantings 

 Their relative importance varies from field to field and from year 

 to year. Usually both are present, but often only one is abundant 

 for a period of years only to be replaced in importance by the 

 other . 



The feeding of cranberry fruitworm is the more obvious of the 

 two because of the frassy web it makes as it feeds in a cluster of 

 berries. Each cranberry fruitworm destroys half a dozen or more 

 berries before it finishes feeding. The caterpillar is green un- 

 til nearly mature when it becomes tinged with red on the back and 

 sides. When mature, the worm is close to 1/2 inch long. When 

 through feeding, the worm drops to the ground and spins an oval 

 cocoon of sand, plant debris and silk at or close to the soil sur- 

 face. The winter is spent in the larval stage in the cocoon and 

 pupation occurs in the spring. Moths are in flight when the ber- 

 ries are setting and growing. 



The moths have a wing expanse of about 3/4 of an inch. The 

 forewings are dark gray above with a slight pinkish tinge and with 

 a basal and median white area, the latter one with two black dots. 

 The moths fly in the evening. They lay their eggs in the calyx 

 of the berry. 



