Blueberry IPM in Florida

Oscar E. Liburd, PhD Associate Professor Entomology and Nematology Department University of Florida

Chronological Order of Blueberry pests Flower thrips Blueberry gall midge Blueberry bud mite Cranberry fruitworm Spotted wing drosophila Flea beetle

Flower Thrips, Frankliniella bispinosa Ovipositional Injury • Travel along wind currents • Multiple generations per year

Size of thrips populations in relation to flower phenology 250 200 150 100 50 0 Percentages of opened flowers 1 10 70 90 20 x column 1 vs y column 1 Col 1 vs Col 2 0 5 10 Days after blooming 15 20 25

Flower thrips (left); Chilli thrips (right) (Scirtothrips dorsalis)

Injuries resulting from chilli thrips

Management of thrips  Monitoring for adults White sticky boards floral tapping on white paper  Conventional insecticides Delegate 3-6 oz per acre (biological Insecticide) Malathion (organophosphate)  Assail (Neo-nicotinoid) Organic insecticide Entrust

Blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson)

Blueberry gall midge

Management of blueberry gall midge

 Monitoring for adult emergence Bucket traps   Conventional insecticides Delegate 3-6 oz per acre (Biological Insecticide) Malathion (organophosphate) **Assail (Neo-nicotinoid) Organic insecticide Entrust, Pyganic

Blueberry bud mite, Acalitus vaccinii (Keifer) Feeds on the under-scale of buds The mite is whitish, elongate and very small (1/125 of an inch long)

Blueberry bud mite injury Confused with frost damage Fewer fruits with Pimpeling Bud scale under dis Mcro.

Management of blueberry bud mite  Removal of infected branches through pruning  Pruning old canes  Post-harvest application insecticide/miticides such as endosulfan  Summer oils

Cranberry Fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii Riley

Cranberry Fruitworm Larvae are light green with a dark head capsule Mature larvae are about ½ inch in length Silk webbing deformed

Management of cranberry fruitworm  Monitoring for adults Conventional Insecticide Delegate Assail Confirm 2F (tebufenozide) Organic Insecticide Entrust Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Blueberry maggot

Management of blueberry maggot  Monitoring for adults Conventional Insecticide Assail Imidan Monitoring trap for BMF Organic Insecticide Entrust

Spotted Wing Drosophila  Several generations per year  Larvae develop inside fruit  Fruit becomes soft and un marketable

Management of Spotted Wing Drosophila  Monitoring for adults Conventional Insecticide Delegate Mustang Organic Insecticide Entrust Monitoring trap for SWD

Bait Solution Spotted Wing Drosophila Yeast-Sugar Bait Solution Recipe: 2 teaspoons of bakers yeast 4 teaspoons of sugar 2 cups of water Mix and pour ≈1 ½ inches of yeast bait into cup

Flea beetles in Blueberry Blueberry leaf beetle

Colaspis pseudofavosa

Damage

Flea beetles in Blueberry Red-headed flea beetle

Systena frontalis

Damage

Management of flea beetles  Monitoring for adults Conventional Insecticide Assail Mustang Monitoring for flea beetles Organic Insecticide Entrust

Common Beneficial Insects Coleoptera Coccinellidae; lady beetles Aphids thrips Carabidae; ground beetles Weed seeds Lepidoptera eggs

Hemiptera Common Beneficial Insects Bigeyed bug, Geocoris spp.

Minute pirate bug, Orius spp.

Common Beneficial Insects Neuroptera Diptera Green lacewings Hover or Flower flies

Acknowledgements Small Fruit and Vegetable IPM Lab Florida Blueberry Growers Association for our funding research [email protected]

(352) 273-3918 http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/liburd/fruitnvegipm/