Emerging Wild Blueberry Pest Updates

Blueberry Leafminer Observed Fall 2019

Stem with leaf miner in the field (leaves are curled and damaged)
Blueberry Stem with Leafminer DamageBlueberry leafminer is a tent forming caterpillar folding the leaves over into a triangle with one larva per leaf.
Blueberry Leaf with Leafminer Damage
Blueberry Leaf with Leafminer DamageAdult leafminer moths lay eggs on the underside of the leaves where larvae will hatch and essentially "mine" the leaf feeding on the plants sap.
Leafminer Larva
Leafminer LarvaLeafminer larva form tents where they will feed. Larvae then pupate under the leaf where they overwinter on the senesced leaf on the ground.

Do You Have This Pest?

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  • Please list the type, frequency and amount.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Current Recommendations:

Categorized as a minor pest, leafminer has been found to increase when broad spectrum insecticides are applied.

 

For Questions, please contact:
Extension Research Assistant, Brogan Tooley

brogan.tooley@maine.edu

Blueberry Tip Midge

What to look for?

Dimpled leaves twisted into a hockey stick shape at the terminal end of the stem is characteristic of the Blueberry Tip Midge Fly.

The tip midge gall will be prevalent in the spring and early summer.

For more detail on tip midge see Fact Sheet No. 208.

If you have this pest – please submit our quick survey form below.

Tipmidge on stem with fireworm
Blueberry Tip Midge Gall with Fireworm
Tipmidge on blueberry stem, showing the hockey puck shape of twisted leaves with dimpling
Blueberry Tip Midge Gall

Current Recommendations:

Additional research is needed to determine if or when control of blueberry tip midge is warranted.

For Questions, please contact:
Extension Research Assistant, Brogan Tooley

brogan.tooley@maine.edu