{"id":716,"date":"2010-06-02T13:57:04","date_gmt":"2010-06-02T17:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/?page_id=716"},"modified":"2025-09-09T13:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T17:30:08","slug":"197-blueberry-spanworm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/resources\/insect\/197-blueberry-spanworm\/","title":{"rendered":"197-Blueberry Spanworm (Itame argillacearia (Packard))"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Fact Sheet No. 197, UMaine Extension No. 2371<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Prepared by Judith A. Collins, Assistant Scientist, and H. Y. Forsythe, Jr., Professor of Entomology, in cooperation with David Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist, 1995. Updated by Lily Calderwood, Extension Wild Blueberry Specialist, 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Description<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Young caterpillar larvae are about 1\/8-inch long and dark gray to black with a series of white bands encircling the body.\u00a0 Fully grown larvae are about 3\/4-inch long and are yellowish-orange with rows of black spots that may look like continuous black strips running the length of the body (Photo 1). Spanworm larvae often appear on plants in large numbers at night.\u00a0\u00a0 During the day,\u00a0many larvae find shelter in the litter at the base of the plants.<\/p>\n<p>An easily recognizable characteristic of this larva is its &#8220;looping&#8221; walk.\u00a0 Pupae, which are rarely seen, are found in the litter and are dark brown or black.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/spanworm.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-884 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/spanworm.gif\" alt=\"spanworm growth stages header for photo gallery reads: actual size, egg, larva, pupa, adult\" width=\"548\" height=\"41\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 25%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-716 gallery-columns-4 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht13.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"216\" height=\"136\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht13.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Spanworm larvae\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht13.jpg 216w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht13-105x66.jpg 105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,216px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-886'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto 1: Larva\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht14.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht14.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Spanworm adult\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht14.jpg 200w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht14-105x76.jpg 105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-885'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto 2: Adult\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht15.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"216\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht15.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Spanworm damage\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht15.jpg 216w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht15-105x72.jpg 105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,216px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-887'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto 3: Damage\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht16.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"148\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht16.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Spanworm damage\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht16.jpg 200w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/197.ht16-105x78.jpg 105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-888'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto 4: Damage\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Adult spanworms are delicate, light gray moths.\u00a0 They have a wingspan of about one-inch (Photo 2).\u00a0 They are especially common in weedy areas or windbreaks and will fly readily when disturbed.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Life Cycle<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The blueberry spanworm spends the winter as an egg in the litter near the base of blueberry plants.\u00a0 Eggs may begin to hatch and larvae start feeding on developing buds as early as April and continue to feed on blueberry leaves, buds, and blossoms until late June or early July.\u00a0 Fully grown larvae move into the litter, where they remain as pupae.\u00a0 At this stage and time, they do not feed.\u00a0 Moths begin to emerge in about two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Adults can first be seen in the field in early to mid-June.\u00a0 Some moths may still be present until late July. Eggs laid by the moths do not hatch until the following spring.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Damage and Economic Importance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Infestations of blueberry spanworm may be confined to isolated areas or damage may be widespread.\u00a0 Large numbers of spanworm larvae may completely defoliate areas in both crop and pruned fields. Early in the season, the larvae damage the berry crop by eating flower buds and blossoms. Later larvae chew out notches on developing leaves (Photo 3). Crop fields may be dotted with areas that appear burned (Photo 4).<\/p>\n<p>The first sign of a severe infestation in a pruned field is an area devoid of or with slower developing plants; look for signs of feeding on developing shoots at ground level or below the soil surface.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>How to Scout for Insects Using a Sweep Net<a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/factsheets\/insects\/200-blueberry-flea-beetle\/wbb-scouting-calendar\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-21100\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-21100 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2020\/06\/WBB-scouting-calendar.jpg\" alt=\"Calendar showing when to scout for pests\" width=\"540\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2020\/06\/WBB-scouting-calendar.jpg 540w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2020\/06\/WBB-scouting-calendar-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2020\/06\/WBB-scouting-calendar-105x80.jpg 105w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2020\/06\/WBB-scouting-calendar-317x241.jpg 317w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2020\/06\/WBB-scouting-calendar-423x321.jpg 423w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,540px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>The sampling procedure to use for most insects (spanworm, flea beetle, sawfly, etc.) involves a single sweep of a 12-inch diameter net from one side of the body to the other (180 degrees). One sample is ten sweeps. While walking through the field, keep two hands on the handle and sweep the foliage. Do not take more than one sweep for every step, and be sure the net penetrates the foliage. After taking ten sweeps, shake everything into the bottom of the net. Empty the contents into a tray, box or other container, and count the number of insects of each species. Write down the results.<\/p>\n<p>Number of samples:\u00a0Take at least one set of ten sweeps every 100 to 200 feet. The number of sets of 10 sweeps (samples) should be about 10 to 20 for fields of 1 to 10 acres, 20 to 30 samples for fields of greater than 10 acres and less than 50 acres, and 30 samples for fields greater than 50 acres. Include weedy and rocky areas, field edges and \u201cdips\u201d or \u201chollows\u201d in your sample; insects are commonly found in these areas. While walking to the next sample site, look around and note anything unusual, such as malformed or brown leaves; check these areas closely. Make notes or draw a map so that areas with suspected infestations can be located at a later date. Watch for defoliated areas within crop fields or delayed emergence of blueberry stems in pruned fields. However, do not automatically assume any area with no foliage has been damaged by an insect. Look for the evidence of feeding (chewed leaves and stems) and\/or the presence of insects.<\/p>\n<p>I have a 15 inch sweep net. Will that change the threshold I&#8217;m looking for?<\/p>\n<p>The short answer is no. You can use either\u00a0a 12 inch or 15 inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net\u00a0that has a &#8220;muslin\u201d or cloth bag. Newly hatched span worm\u00a0is one insect that will slip through the larger holes in a mesh\u00a0net. Some sweep net suppliers include Bioquip, Forestry Suppliers, and Great Lakes IPM. Dr.\u00a0Frank Drummond developed thresholds based upon a 12-inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net,\u00a0which is what you will find on the insect factsheets. When using a\u00a015-inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net, you do take a larger swath in a 180\u00ba\u00a0sweep\u00a0 and therefore the relative abundance of the pest will be a bit different. A\u00a012-inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net has a 36 inch arc in each sweep, which is an approximate\u00a0volume of 2034 sq inches of blueberry stems.\u00a0 A 15 inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net\u00a0will\u00a0sweep\u00a0a volume of 2543 sq. inches. Therefore, the 15-inch sweep net captures 1.25 times the volume of the 12-inch net.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if your threshold is 10 caterpillars per set of 10\u00a0sweeps\u00a0with a 12-inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net, your threshold with a 15-inch\u00a0sweep\u00a0net\u00a0would be 12.5 caterpillars per 10 sweeps. This is a very small difference that can be ignored especially because the threshold 15-inch net threshold is slightly more conservative, erring toward a safer estimate of pest pressure.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>Pest Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The blueberry spanworm can be controlled with an appropriate pesticide.\u00a0 For additional information on monitoring and control, refer to Wild Blueberry Fact Sheets No. 209, or contact the lowbush blueberry specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 1.800-.897.0757 (toll-free in Maine) or 207.581.2923.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"color: #000000;font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;font-size: medium;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none;background-color: #ffffff\"><em>Information\u00a0in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of\u00a0products\u00a0or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is\u00a0criticism\u00a0of unnamed products or companies implied.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #000000;font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;font-size: medium;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none;background-color: #ffffff\">\u00a9 2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #000000;font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;font-size: medium;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none;background-color: #ffffff\"><strong>Call 800.287.0274 (in Maine), or 207.581.3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension or visit\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/\"><strong>extension.umaine.edu<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #000000;font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;font-size: medium;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none;background-color: #ffffff\"><i>The University of Maine is an EEO\/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran\u2019s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 Boudreau Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fact Sheet No. 197, UMaine Extension No. 2371 Prepared by Judith A. Collins, Assistant Scientist, and H. Y. Forsythe, Jr., Professor of Entomology, in cooperation with David Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist, 1995. Updated by Lily Calderwood, Extension Wild Blueberry Specialist, 2020. Description Young caterpillar larvae are about 1\/8-inch long and dark gray to black with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":18838,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-716","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>197-Blueberry Spanworm (Itame argillacearia (Packard)) - Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/resources\/insect\/197-blueberry-spanworm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"197-Blueberry Spanworm (Itame argillacearia (Packard)) - Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fact Sheet No. 197, UMaine Extension No. 2371 Prepared by Judith A. Collins, Assistant Scientist, and H. Y. Forsythe, Jr., Professor of Entomology, in cooperation with David Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist, 1995. Updated by Lily Calderwood, Extension Wild Blueberry Specialist, 2020. 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Collins, Assistant Scientist, and H. Y. Forsythe, Jr., Professor of Entomology, in cooperation with David Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist, 1995. Updated by Lily Calderwood, Extension Wild Blueberry Specialist, 2020. 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