What's eating my duke blueberry?

Duke blueberry is a highbush variety that faces a range of fruit, foliage, and animal pests. Spotted wing drosophila is the most damaging modern threat, laying eggs inside ripening berries. Birds compete heavily for the harvest. Blueberry aphids distort new growth and blueberry fruit fly (blueberry maggot) can ruin fruit internally.

Eggs laid inside ripening fruit by the female's serrated ovipositor; larvae cause the berry to collapse and rot before harvest. Use fine exclusion netting over the bush from colour break; monitor with red sphere or apple cider vinegar traps; apply spinosad-based spray if infestation is confirmed.

Colonies on undersides of young basal leaves; leaves curl and yellow, and aphids vector blueberry shock virus. Spray undersides of leaves with insecticidal soap or neem oil in early summer; reflective mulch helps deter alates.

Maggots tunnel through berry flesh, causing premature drop and internal rotting; damage looks like soft, dimpled fruit. Hang yellow sticky traps or Pherocon traps from late June; apply kaolin clay or an approved insecticide at adult fly emergence.

Entire berry clusters stripped from the bush as fruit ripens — often the most economically significant loss for home growers. Drape exclusion netting (with openings under 2 cm) over the whole bush as soon as berries begin to colour.