What's eating my lingonberry?

Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) shares pests with blueberry relatives: blueberry maggot fly attacks ripe fruit, cranberry fruitworm can damage berries, and aphids colonize new growth. Deer and rabbits browse foliage in winter. Root weevils are a ground-level threat. Overall pest load is lighter than blueberry.

Characteristic notched, scalloped leaf margins from adult night feeding; larvae damage roots, causing wilting or stunted growth in severe cases Apply beneficial nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) to moist soil in late summer to target larvae; use sticky barriers around plant bases to trap adults.

Curled, misshapen new leaves; sticky honeydew on shoots; colonies most common in spring and early autumn flushes Insecticidal soap spray; water jet; tolerate light infestations — established plants cope well, and natural predators usually intervene.

Berries turn red and drop prematurely; webbing connecting berry clusters; larvae found inside fruit Remove and destroy dropped fruit promptly; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray at petal fall and again 10 days later when larvae are young.