This document discusses several pests that affect blueberry plants, including insects and arachnids. It describes the symptoms caused by each pest, such as small holes in leaves from a dark colored jumping beetle, curled leaves from a pale yellow thrips insect, and misshapen flowers and fruit from a microscopic mite. The document also explains the damage certain pests can cause, like defoliating trees and destroying the current and following years' blueberry crops, or burrowing into and rotting berries with maggots.

2. Blue Berry Injurious
Insects
A
Lecture To ToT trainees (
FFS)
By
Mr. Allah Dad Khan
Provincial Coordinator IPM

4.  Symptoms
 There are very few outward symptoms of feeding
by this insect but they are considered a major
pest as they transmit a mycoplasma-like
organism that causes blueverry stunt; the adult
insect is small and brown reaching approximately
5 mm in length with small cream colored patches
on the body and wings; both adult and nymphal
stages have a pointed head
 Cause
 Insect

6. Symptoms
 Blistered red scales on
buds; misshapen
flowers, small leaves
and fruit; damage may
lead to poor growth
and yields; mites are
microscopic and
difficult to see with the
naked eye
 Cause
 Arachnid

7. Symptoms
 Small holes or pits in leaves
that give the foliage a
characteristic “shothole”
appearance; young plants
and seedlings are particularly
susceptible; plant growth
may be reduced; if damage is
severe the plant may be
killed; the pest responsible
for the damage is a small
(1.5–3.0 mm) dark colored
beetle which jumps when
disturbed; the beetles are
often shiny in appearance
 Cause
 Insect

8. Symptoms
 Leaves curling around the
stem beginning at stem tip;
as new leaves emerge, the
curling spreads from tip to
base of stem; If population is
high leaves may be distorted;
flowers may be damaged;
insect is small (1.5 mm) and
slender and best viewed
using a hand lens; adult
thrips are pale yellow to light
brown and the nymphs are
smaller and lighter in color
 Cause
 Insect

9. Damage
 Defoliated trees and shrubs
rarely die, because the plant
still has time to form new
leaves before fall. When they
defoliate blueberry plants,
they destroy the crop for two
years. The current season's
crop is lost because there are
no leaves to support the
fruit, and the following
season's crop will be ruined,
because the plant will be
making leaves in July and
August instead of forming
flower buds for the following
year.

10. Damage
 SWD larvae burrow through the
berries, making the fruit soft and
unappealing. During egg laying, the
female may introduce fungi that
cause the fruit to rot, and infested
fruit often develop a fermented or a
sour smell. If berries are stored at
room temperature, larvae can hatch
after the fruit has been picked, Fruit
that was normal then may be soft
and maggot infested a day or two
later. Mature larvae often crawl out of
berries stored on the counter.
 During minor infestations, infested
fruit can be processed into wine or
jelly. During severe infestations, the
berries are too rotten to be
processed.