The 2005 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition
December 15-18, 2005
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

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Sunday, December 18, 2005
D0687

Organic pest management strategies for lowbush blueberry insects

Judith A. Collins, Judith.Collins@umit.maine.edu, Sara Hoffmann, and Francis A. Drummond. University of Maine, Biological Sciences, 5277 Deering Hall, Orono, ME

During the last five years we have developed a variety of organically approved tools for managing insect pests for lowbush blueberry growers in Maine. Effective organic pest management tactics have been developed for most common secondary lowbush blueberry pest insects. However, this set of tactics is not complete for the entire complex of insects that growers might encounter. Mycotrol ES®, Beauveria bassiana, has proven effective against blueberry flea beetle (Altica sylvia), and Entrust 80WP® an organically approved formulation of spinosad shows excellent promise for blueberry flea beetle as well as blueberry spanworm (Itame argillacearia) and strawberry rootworm (Paria fragariae). To date, there is no organic control alternative for blueberry maggot fly (Rhagoletis mendax). A perimeter treatment with a spinosyn–treated food bait called GF-120 NF Naturalyte® Fruit Fly Bait has shown significant promise. We report on the efficacy studies that have been the basis for our organic management recommendations.


Species 1: Diptera Tephritidae Rhagoletis mendax (blueberry maggot)
Species 2: Lepidoptera Geometridae Itame argillacearia (blueberry spanworm)
Species 3: Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Altica sylvia (blueberry flea beetle)
Keywords: blueberry organic IPM

Poster (.pdf format, 2850.0 kb)