{"id":718,"date":"2010-06-02T13:57:46","date_gmt":"2010-06-02T17:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/?page_id=718"},"modified":"2025-09-09T13:31:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T17:31:41","slug":"199-strawberry-rootworm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/resources\/insect\/199-strawberry-rootworm\/","title":{"rendered":"199-Strawberry Rootworm (Paria fragariae Wilcox)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Fact Sheet No.199, UMaine Extension No. 2370<\/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, The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. February 1996.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Description<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The adult strawberry rootworm is a shiny, oval beetle 1\/8-inch long.\u00a0 Its color may vary from brown with four darker blotches on the back to solid black (Photo 1 and 2).\u00a0 The adults feed on the plants chiefly at night and are not commonly seen during the day.\u00a0 The larvae are white and are found in the soil.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Life Cycle<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The adults spend the winter in ground litter or in other protected places and begin to become active in early May.\u00a0 The largest numbers of beetles occur between late May and early June.\u00a0 Eggs are laid during this period and developing larvae burrow into the ground, where they feed on the roots of strawberries and other related plants.\u00a0 They become pupae in the soil, and new adults emerge from mid-July through August and feed on foliage the rest of the season.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Damage and Economic Importance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This beetle is more commonly a pest of strawberries, but can also damage blueberry plants in Maine.\u00a0 Infestations are usually confined to isolated areas.\u00a0 The most severe damage is caused by the adult beetles, which eat holes in the leaves.\u00a0 When adults are abundant, leaves are riddled with holes giving the plants a ragged appearance.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/rootworm.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-892 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/rootworm.gif\" alt=\"rootworm header reads actual size., adult\" width=\"230\" height=\"42\" \/><\/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: 50%;\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-718 gallery-columns-2 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\/199fig1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig1-300x211.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Rootworm adult\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig1-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig1-105x74.jpg 105w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig1.jpg 304w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-893'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto 1: 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\/199fig2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"208\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Rootworm adult\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig2.jpg 299w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/blueberries\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2010\/06\/199fig2-105x73.jpg 105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,299px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-894'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto 2: Adult\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3><strong>Pest Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For information regarding monitoring and control, contact the lowbush blueberry specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 1.800.897.0757 (toll-free in Maine) or 207.581.2923.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>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.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a9 1996<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>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<\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>extension.umaine.edu<\/b><\/span><\/a><b>.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><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.199, UMaine Extension No. 2370 Prepared by Judith A. Collins, Assistant Scientist, and H. Y. Forsythe, Jr., Professor of Entomology, in cooperation with David Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist, The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. February 1996. Description The adult strawberry rootworm is a shiny, oval beetle 1\/8-inch long.\u00a0 Its color may vary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":18838,"menu_order":7,"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-718","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>199-Strawberry Rootworm (Paria fragariae Wilcox) - 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\/199-strawberry-rootworm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"199-Strawberry Rootworm (Paria fragariae Wilcox) - Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fact Sheet No.199, UMaine Extension No. 2370 Prepared by Judith A. 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