Black Vine Weevil
(BVW)

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.

The larvae feed on roots causing plants to wilt.

Adults can be a harvest contaminate.

Place a beating tray within the foliage of the plant and gently shake the canopy above.

Take 10 beating tray samples per site and record the number of weevils found.

If beating tray sampling results in 1-2 weevils per ten samples a pre-harvest spray is advisable.

Weevils can spread rapidly through a field in a short time. Control measures are advisable even in lightly infested fields.

Sprays may be more effective at night due to the nocturnal habit of adults and should begin at pre-harvest when adults begin to emerge.

Scout field and conduct beating tray sampling soon after treatment to verify effectiveness.

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 turn 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 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 percentage infested hills.

Threshold will vary according to the end product usage and processor.
Check with you 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 is advised.

Continue to monitor for fruit showing symptoms similar to sunscald damage and yellow blotching leaves.

Orange Tortrix Leafroller
(OT)

Adults are gray or fawn colored with a wingspan of ¾ inch.

Larvae are a potential harvest contaminant.

Check pheromone traps weekly.

Inspect rolled leaves for the presence of larvae. Record % infested hills by checking 20 hills at 3-5 sites per field.

Examine beating tray 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, a 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 a ¼ inch long. Mature, second year larvae range from 1 to 1 ½ inches long.

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

Scout for wilting or dying canes. Search around the base of canes for signs of boring (holes/ sawdust-like frass). Record percentage infested hills.

The feeding may cause swelling or galls to form at or below the soil surface.

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

If more than 5% of 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.

Continue to monitor field for wilting or dying canes and inspect for sings of larvae feeding.

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 presence of larvae.

Strawberry Crown Moth
(SCM)

Adults begin emerging in late June. They are a clear winged month that resembles a yellow jacket, with a wingspan of about ¾ inch.

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

Place pheromone traps in the field early June and check weekly.

Consider chemical control if signs of boring or feeding on the outer crown and root surface are visible; or if a significant amount of adults are found in the trap.

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

Continue to monitor traps for adult moths.

Blackberry Rust
(more common on ‘Evergreen’ cultivar)

Infected leaves will show purple leaf spots on the surface with corresponding yellow pustules on the underside. Yellow pustules may also occur on flower buds, fruit and stems of primocanes and floricanes.  Severely infected plants will defoliate and fruit may fail to ripen.

Severely infected plants will lead to significant crop loss due to continuous defoliation and cane decline.

Scout field regularly for disease presence and to monitor reproductive cycles.

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

No threshold or tolerance level available.

Chemical treatments are advisable if symptoms are present.

Chemical protection should start at bud break and continue through green fruit development or until the weather turns from rainy springs to dry summers.

Reduce inoculum sources by removing old fruiting canes right after harvest and cultivating to cover fallen leaves.

Fruit Rot Botrytis
(more common on ‘Evergreen’ cultivar)

Flower infection establishes in the receptacle of young fruit and may remain dormant until fruit is nearly ripe or after harvest.

One to several berries in a cluster may turn brown and die; eventually becoming covered by a grayish, dusty or powder growth.

Reduces fruit quality and yield.

Inspect bloom, leaves and canes for disease development especially under moist conditions and/or in fields with heavy foliage.

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.

If chemical treatment is required, apply fungicides as a protectant spray at 7-14 day intervals from early bloom up to harvest.

At harvest, inspect ripened fruit for beginning stages of infection.

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 hills for dry, hard and shriveled berries.

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

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.

Continue monitoring developing and harvested fruit for symptoms.