Black Vine Weevil
(BVW)

Larvae are white or pink, legless, C-shaped grubs and have distinct brown heads.

Adults are flightless, hard-shelled beetles. They are oblong oval in shape, about ½-inch long. They have a broad snout, long downward curved mouthparts and elbowed antennae. The body is slate gray to blackish-brown and the wing covers have numerous small pits and small hairs.

Adults feed on foliage although it is not economically significant.

Larvae hatch and move into the soil where they feed on roots and crowns. This can cause wilting resulting in loss of plant.

Ride the harvester to see what insect contaminants are coming across the belt to evaluate the effectives of your clean up spray.

Control measures should be taken if weevils are found on the harvester belt in order to prevent egg laying. Adults left unchecked will result in a higher population of weevils the following season.

Sprays should be made during harvest to target adults before egg laying occurs. Choose an insecticide with a short PHI.

Continue to ride harvester after control measures are taken to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments.

Monitor field the following spring.

Dryberry Mite

Mites are about 1/100 inch long, with elongated bodies and two pairs of legs. They are yellowish to brown in color, but are nearly transparent. Eggs are round and transparent.

The mite feeds on and kills fruit shortly after petal fall. Affected fruit initially turns red, but will eventually turn brown and become dry resulting in poor fruit quality. Symptoms are easily confused with various fungal diseases and poor pollination.

Consider field and cultivar history problems to determine if it is economic to monitor for this pest.

Watch for affected drupelets that show symptoms similar to sunscald. Examine in and around the fruit, particularly at the base of drupelets, with a 20X hand lens.

Record percent infested hills.

Threshold will vary according to the end product usage and processor.
Check with your buyer for their suggested threshold.

Chemical applications should be made the following year to control this pest.

A dormant application in early spring prior to bud break or a summer application as soon as flower buds form.

Monitor fruit the following year to determine if pest pressure increases and/ or chemical treatments are effective. 

Orange Tortrix Leafroller
(OT)

Adults and larvae may be present during this time. The larvae are light brown to yellow green with a brown heard and can range from 1/8 to ¾-inch long. When disturbed, they wiggle backwards and drop to the ground on a silken thread. Adults are gray or fawn colored with a wingspan of ¾ inch.

Larvae are a potential harvest contaminant.

Check pheromone traps weekly.

At 10-14 days after peak flight, inspect rolled leaves for the presence of larvae. Record % infested hills by checking 20 hills at 3-5 sites per field.

Examine harvester belt and harvested fruit for leafroller worms.

Harvest contaminant thresholds will vary according to the end product usage and processor.
Check with your buyer for their suggested threshold.

A starting threshold of 10% or more larvae infested hills is recommended.

An action threshold for beating tray has not been established.

If low levels of larvae are present, biological materials such as Bt formulations may be effective.

For severe infestations or if your field has a history of leafroller problems, chemical treatment may be necessary.

Continue checking traps for adults and sampling % infested hills for larvae.

Raspberry Crown Borer
(RCB)

Larvae are white with brown heads and have six short legs. First year larvae are about ¼ inch long. Mature, second year larvae range from 1 to 1 ½ inches long.

Adult moths resemble yellow jacket wasps in color and size. The have a wingspan of 1-inch, long black body with four yellow horizontal stripes on the abdomen and a feathery antenna that curves outward from the head.

Larvae feed on roots, crowns and the base of canes causing plant decline and yield reduction.

Scout field for wilting and dying canes. Inspect around the base of the canes for sings of boring.

Record percent infested hills.

Remove collapsed and dying canes and inspect around the crown and roots for larvae or signs of feeding.

If more than 5% of the plants have damage, caused by borer larvae, chemical controls are recommended.

Fall insecticide drench is advisable to control larvae.

Remove and destroy infested plant material. Remove wild blackberries from field borders to help control the pest.

Due to the two year life cycle of this pest, it may be necessary to treat again in the spring in order to obtain control.

Redberry Mite
(most damaging to late-maturing cultivars)

Mite feeds at the core, stem and base of drupelets; injects toxin that prevents proper fruit development; fruit remains hard green or bright red.

Fruit is unmarketable.

Major infestations can severely impact total yield.

Watch for fruit that never ripens and remains hard.

Use a hand lens or dissecting scope to inspect the base of drupelets to verify mite presence.

Record percent infested hills.

No threshold or tolerance level available. Check with your buyer for their suggested threshold.

Consider chemical treatment for severe infestations.

Implement a program of preventative dormant sulfur applications the following spring if mite levels are significant.

Monitor fruit to assess efficacy of preventative sprays.

Spotted Wing Drosophila
(SWD)

Adults are small flies (less than 1/8 inch) with red eyes and a pale brown thorax and abdomen with black stripes on the abdomen. Adult males have a black spot towards the tip of each wing. Adult females have a large, saw-like ovipositor for inserting eggs into fruit.

This fly damages ripe and ripening fruit. Females lay 1-3 eggs per fruit by inserting their ovipositor into the fruit causing small scars, indented soft spots, and bruises on the fruit surface.

Eggs hatch and the larvae develop and feed inside the fruit, causing the flesh to collapse around the feeding site within as few as two days.

As soon as fruit begins to ripen place traps in fields using a 16oz plastic cup containing about ½” apple cider vinegar. Monitor traps twice per week and record number of adults found.

Also, monitor for small puncture (oviposition scar) wounds on fruit and soft fruit.

No threshold or tolerance level available.

In most cases detection is the advised threshold.

This is a new pest to the Pacific Northwest; therefore, thresholds and management are not well established.

Continue to monitor traps and check fruit for small scars and the presence of larvae.

Strawberry Crown Moth
(SCM)

Adults are still emerging throughout July. They mate and lay eggs, which hatch in about two weeks.

Adults are clear winged moths that resemble yellow jackets, with a wingspan of about ¾ inch.

Larvae can cause economic damage by girdling canes causing plants to become stunted and have poor vigor.

Continue to check pheromone traps weekly, recording number of adults caught.

Watch for weakened areas and signs of feeding on the outside of the crown.  Record percent infested hills.

No threshold or tolerance level available.

Consider chemical control if adults are consecutively found in the trap.

The same fall insecticidal drench used to control raspberry crown borer will also control SCM.

Continue to monitor traps for adult months.

Cane & Fruit Rot Botrytis

New infections appear as pale brown lesions on primocane leaves, which move into the cane through the petiole.

One to several berries in a cluster may show blasting (browning/dying). Berries eventually become covered by a grayish, dusty or powder growth.

Cane infections are the primary source of spores for flower infections. These infections can cause fruit rot, thus reducing fruit quality and yield.

Inspect leaves and canes for disease development especially when moist conditions occur in the spring and/or in fields with heavy foliage.

Check fruit for over ripeness, which may show beginning stages of infection.

Record level of damage on a scale of 0 to 3.

No threshold or tolerance level available.

For severe infestation consider chemical treatment.

Adjust irrigation to prevent plants from being wet for extended periods of time.

Pick fruit before over ripe to prevent postharvest fruit rot. Pick fruit often and early in the day when temperatures are cool and protect from bruising. Move harvested fruit to cold storage as soon as possible.

Monitor harvested fruit for disease development.

In the fall, open plant canopy through proper pruning and trellising to promote air circulation.

Dry Cell Syndrome
(Marion, Kotata & Boysenberry)

Berries become shriveled, dry and hard; fruits may have small dry, scabby looking lesions on green, red and black drupelets; symptoms may be scattered across the berry or clustered in patches.

Fruit is unmarketable; not accepted for IQF; and results in loss of yield.

Examine each site for dry, hard and shriveled berries and record level of damage on a scale of 0 to 3.

Inspect harvested fruit for dry, brown lesions.

No threshold or tolerance level available.

No single organisms is responsible, therefore focus on controlling diseases that are associated with the problem especially after long wet springs.

Check harvested fruit for symptoms.