What's eating my rabbiteye blueberry?

Rabbiteye Blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) thrives in the US Southeast and shares blueberry pest pressures, with birds and spotted wing drosophila topping the list. Its later, longer ripening season — from July through September — extends SWD exposure. Japanese beetles are a significant additional threat in the Southeast compared to highbush regions further north.

Ripening and ripe berries consumed directly; the extended fruiting window means sustained pressure over two or more months; whole clusters stripped Use fine-mesh netting or a permanent fruit cage. Reflective ribbon and scare devices lose effectiveness quickly — physical exclusion is the only reliable method. Remove netting between seasons.

Eggs laid into ripening fruit; maggots develop inside; soft, leaking berries with visible larvae on close inspection Harvest every 2–3 days and refrigerate immediately. Monitor with cider vinegar traps. Apply spinosad sprays according to label instructions during the fruiting period, especially in warm humid conditions.

Skeletonised leaves where adults consume leaf tissue between veins; severe defoliation weakens fruiting wood for the following season Handpick adults into soapy water in the morning when sluggish. Avoid pheromone bag traps near the plants — they attract more beetles than they catch. Apply neem oil as a feeding deterrent. Treat lawn areas with milky spore or nematodes to reduce grub populations.

Larvae infest vegetative and flower buds, causing bud death and failure to open; shoot tips may turn brown and die back in spring Prune out and destroy affected tips. Apply dormant horticultural oil before bud break. Insecticide sprays timed at bud swell can reduce adult populations in high-pressure orchards.