Blueberry maggot adult looks like a small fly

blueberry maggot adult (Rhagoletis mendax)
Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Updated: February 2, 2024

Blueberry pests

     1. Blueberry Maggot, Rhagoletis mendax (Curran)

blueberry maggot larvae inside a blueberry
Blueberry maggot
Photo: Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Photos: Jerry A. Payne, USDA Ag Res. Service, Bugwood.org

Adults of the blueberry maggot are similar in size to houseflies but have white spots on their wings. They appear and begin laying eggs in the fruit just as the berries begin to turn blue.

      2.  Fruitworms, Grapholita packardi and Acrobasis vaccinii

 

fruitworm larvae inside blueberries
Cranberry fruitberry infesting blueberries
Photo: University of Georgia Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

The cherry fruitworm is a small pink worm with a brown head that bores a small hole in the side of the berry, usually where it touches other berries. The cranberry fruitworm (photos above) is yellow-green with a yellow head and causes damage similar to the cherry fruitworm.

   3. Plum Curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar

Plum curculio adult
Plum curculio
Photo: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series , Bugwood.org

The plum curculio is a 1/4-inch-long, gray snout beetle that can be seen crawling about the clusters; its larvae are yellow-white, legless, and curved.

     4. Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a small vinegar fly with the potential to damage many fruit crops, especially thin-skinned fruit, including blueberries.