Berry Pest Insects and Diseases
- Take a look at this useful video Using a salt test for SWD
Use the search box below to search for insects and diseases by crop or by name. You can also search for part or whole word to help identify the insects or disease you seek. For instance, "leaves" will return every entry where "leaves" is in the description or the name. "Strawberries" will return all insects and diseases associated with strawberries.
Click on the name to see images and full descriptions, including reasons for concern, identification/symptoms, life or disease cycle, links to other resources, scouting tips, and cultural controls.
| Crop | Insect/Disease |
|---|---|
| Blueberries | Alternaria Fruit Rot Infections have greenish gray mycelium and dark olive-green spores. Fungal growth can completely engulf the berry. |
| Raspberries | Anthracnose Serious if rains continue late into spring, when spots on canes may be plentiful enough to retard sap flow |
| Blackberries | Anthracnose Serious if rains continue late into spring, when spots on canes may be plentiful enough to retard sap flow. |
| Strawberries | Anthracnose Fruit Rot Open flowers and all fruiting stages are susceptible to this disease. The tan/brown colored lesions on fruit make the fruit unmarketable |
| Blueberries | Anthracnose Ripe Rot for Blueberries First, blighting of shoot tips; then flowers turn brown or black. Leaf spots roughly circular. Flower end may soften and pucker |
| Raspberries | Aphid, Larger Raspberry Cool, wet conditions favor populations buildup making them a harvest contaminant. Can decrease plant vigor and vector raspberry mosaic virus. |
| Blueberries | Aphids Aphids have been identified as the vector of blueberry scorch virus, a lethal disease in blueberries. |
| Strawberries | Aphids: Shallot and Strawberry Aphids vector numerous viruses. Leaves appear crinkled, curled and, sometimes. Damage may spread from small patches to the entire planting. |
| Blackberries | Amillaria Root Rot Cane dieback and wilting are common. Infected main roots and crowns often have whitish mycelia that are thin and fan shaped with a mushroom odor. |
| Raspberries | Armillaria Root Rot Cane dieback and wilting are common. Infected main roots and crowns often have whitish mycelia that are thin and fan shaped with a mushroom odor. |
| Blackberries | Armyworms/Climbing cutworms Active at night and feed on primary buds and new growth. A potential harvest contaminant. |
| Raspberries | Armyworms/Climbing cutworms Active at night and feed on primary buds and new growth. A potential harvest contaminant. |
| Blueberries | Azalea Bark Scale White protective coverings of mating females found on the older bark. Young crawlers penetrate the bark and begin feeding. |
| Blueberries | Bacterial Blight/Bacterial Canker Water-soaked lesions appear early in year and become a reddish brown to black canker. Buds in cankers die. Leaves turn orange and wilt if death occurs after buds have leafed out. |
| Blueberries | Birds Damage is just prior to and during harvest. |
| Strawberries | Black Root Rot Entire root or all but core darken, look unhealthy, and lack new growth. Foliage is reduced in size, has poor color, and wilts in warm weather. |
| Blackberries | Blackberry Rust Primarily affects Evergreen blackberries. Spores change color as infection develops. |
| Blueberries | Blueberry Gall Midge The adult is a very small reddish fly. Larvae feed in the growing tips of the plant and causing branching of new growth. |
| Blueberries | Blueberry Scorch Virus (BlscV) A serious disease threat. Flower clusters blight as petals open, young shoots may turn grayish black. |
| Blueberries | Blueberry Shock Virus (BlshV) Flowers and young vegetative leaf shoots suddenly die when flowers are just about to open |
| Blueberries | Botrytis (includes tip blight, blossom blight and/or fruit rot) Fruit clusters covered with dense powdery gray spores at harvest or post harvest. |
| Blackberries | Botrytis Fruit Rot (includes Cane Botrytis) Fruit shows gray fungus. Fungus can also infect leaves and cause cane infections. |
| Raspberries | Botrytis Fruit Rot (includes Cane Botrytis) Fruit shows gray fungus. Fungus can also infect leaves and cause cane infections. |
| Strawberries | Botrytis Grey Mold (includes blossom blight and/or fruit rot) Can show during bloom (blossom blight - petals and pedicels turning brown) or with fruit (fruit rot). a fungus producing a gray mold over fruit surface. |
| Blackberries | Box Elder Bug Can be a potential harvest contaminant. Lays its eggs on open blooms, potentially damaging them, causing poor druplet formation. |
| Strawberries | Brown Marmorated Stink Bug They can be distinguished from other species of stink bugs by the light bands on the antennae. |
| Raspberries | Brown Marmorated Stink Bug They can be distinguished from other species of stink bugs by the light bands on the antennae. |
| Blueberries | Brown Marmorated Stink Bug They can be distinguished from other species of stink bugs by the light bands on the antennae. |
| Blackberries | Brown Marmorated Stink Bug They can be distinguished from other species of stink bugs by the light bands on the antennae. |
| Blackberries | Cane and Leaf Rust A pest in Oregon Thornless Evergreen and Silvan cultivars. Hybrid berries generally not affected. Wet conditions favor development. Canes become brittle and break easily. Premature defoliation can occur if disease is severe. |
| Blackberries | Cane and Leaf Spot (aka Septoria Leaf Spot) Minute, black, fruiting bodies form in infected tissue, mature, and produce spores. Leaf spots vary from light (purplish) to dark brown. In older leaf spots, centers are whitish with brown to red borders. |
| Raspberries | Cane Blight Symptoms include weak growth and wilting of leaves. Cankers develop on canes, brown to purple lesions. Affected areas are weak and bend easily. |
| Blueberries | Cherry Fruitworm Adult is small, dark gray moth with brown bands on the wings. Lays eggs on developing green fruit. Larvae, white with black heads, bore into and feed in the developing fruit. Mature larvae pink with brown heads. |
| Strawberries | Common Leaf Spot Spots dark red or purplish, becoming grayish/white with age. Scattered widely over the leaf surface reducing leaf function. Most severe in spring and fall. |
| Raspberries | Crown and Cane Gal Infection is through cane or crown injuries or contaminated rootstock. Symptoms are small rough areas of gall tissue; galls can cause canes to split open resulting in reduced vigor and stunting. |
| Blackberries | Crown and Cane Gall Blackberries especially sensitive to disease. Infection is through cane or crown injuries or contaminated rootstock. Symptoms are small rough areas of gall tissue; galls can cause canes to split open. |
| Blueberries | Dagger Nematode Can vector Tomato Ringspot and Tobacco Ringspot viruses. Plants infected with Tomato Ringspot exhibit poor vigor and shoot dieback. Fruit quality and yield are severely reduced. |
| Raspberries | Dagger Nematode Vector for Tomato Ringspot virus that can cause economic injury. High concentrations of feeding nematodes can cause roots to deform and swell. |
| Strawberries | Deer Feeding by deer can delay maturity, reduce yield, have a negative impact on growth and, in severe cases, cause death of the young strawberries. |
| Blueberries | Deer Feeds on foliage, twigs, buds, and fruit, which can delay maturity, reduce yield, have a negative impact on growth and, in severe cases, cause death of the young blueberry plant. |
| Blackberries | Downy Mildew Fungus is especially problematic in Boysenberries It overwinters primarily as a systemic infection of canes, crowns, roots, and buds. The disease cycle starts in spring with infected shoots from infected root, crown, and cane buds. |
| Blackberries | Dry Cell (Dry Berry) Cause is unknown. Individual druplets become shrivelled, dry and hard. Fruit may have small dry, scabby looking lesions on green, red, and black druplet. |
| Raspberries | Earwig, European (common) Can be harvest contaminants, particularly if rain just prior to harvest or when harvest conditions wet. Can also cause superficial leaf damage from feeding. |
| Blackberries | Earwig, European (common) Can be harvest contaminants, particularly if rain just prior to harvest or when harvest conditions wet. Can also cause superficial leaf damage from feeding. |
| Blueberries | Garden Symphylan 1/4-inch, white and centipede-like. Live in soil feeding on fine roots and organic matter. Exceptionally injurious to young plants. Symptoms of low vigor and weak growth can show between April and June. |
| Strawberries | Garden Symphyland 1/4-inch, white and centipede-like. Live in soil feeding on fine roots and organic matter. |
| Blueberries | Godronia Canker New infections appear as small reddish-brown areas around buds and wounds. As cankers enlarge, their centers turn gray and their margins remain reddish to dark brown. |
| Strawberries | Leaf Scorch Small, dark purple spots develop on upper leaf surfaces and remain dark purple. If numerous, spots run together, and leaves appear scorched. |
| Blueberries | Leafroller, Orange Tortrix Larvae occasionally causes damage by feeding on developing buds. If numerous during harvest, has potential to be a fruit contaminant. |
| Raspberries | Leafroller, Orange Tortrix Larvae are light brown to yellow green with a brown head and can be a major harvest contaminant. Rolled leaves webbed together indicate presence of larvae. Adult moths are tan or gray with darker mottling on the forewings. Three or four overlapping generations per year. |
| Blackberries | Leafroller, Orange Tortrix Larvae are light brown to yellow green with a brown head and can be a major harvest contaminant. Rolled leaves webbed together indicate presence of larvae. Adult moths are tan or gray with darker mottling on the forewings. Three or four overlapping generations per year. |
| Blackberries | Leafrollers, Obliquebanded Larvae are a potential contaminant in harvested fruit. When disturbed, they wiggle backwards and drop to the ground on a silken thread. Rolled leaves webbed together indicate presence of larvae. Adult moths have dark brown bands running at oblique angles across their wings. |
| Raspberries | Leafrollers, Obliquebanded Larvae are a potential contaminant in harvested fruit. When disturbed, they wiggle backwards and drop to the ground on a silken thread. Rolled leaves webbed together indicate presence of larvae. Adult moths have dark brown bands running at oblique angles across their wings. |
| Blueberries | Leafrollers, Obliquebanded Feeds on developing buds and leaves and can reduce yields. Later generations feed directly on berries and can be a harvest contaminant. Larvae overwinters on bushes in the field. |
| Blueberries | Lecanium Scale During dormancy, small, yellowish-brown, helmet-shaped scales can be found on stems and branches. These protect scale eggs that hatch into "crawlers" in the spring. Feeding by the crawlers causes stunted and distorted growth, witches’ broom, and reduced fruit yield and quality. |
| Strawberries | Lygus Bugs Adults are 0.25 to 0.5 inches long, winged, and marked with a 'V' on the back. They range in color from light green to shades of gray and brown. Nymphs are smaller and wingless. |
| Blackberries | Mite, Dryberry Mites are very small, almost invisible to the naked eye. Affected berries turn red, then brown and dry; the whole fruit may be dry or just patches on the fruit. |
| Strawberries | Mites, Cyclamen Mites stunt plants and reduce fruit production. Symptoms are similar to virus symptoms (curled, crinkled leaves). Small bumps felt on leaf midvein and petiole can be indicative of mite feeding. |
| Blackberries | Mites, Twospotted Spider Spider mite feeding reduces plant vigor and may cause leaves to be mottled, turn brown and drop prematurely. Populations can increase rapidly after harvest through early September. |
| Raspberries | Mites, Twospotted Spider Spider mite feeding reduces plant vigor and may cause leaves to be mottled, turn brown and drop prematurely. Populations can increase rapidly after harvest through early September. |
| Strawberries | Mites, Twospotted Spider Adult mites are about 0.02 inch long. They have eight legs and are light tan or greenish in color with a dark spot on each side of their back. In fall and again in spring, overwintering forms appear as bright orange globules. |
| Raspberries | Mites, Yellow Spider Mites are about two-thirds the size of Twospotted mites and much paler in color. They also tend to build up earlier in the season. Feeding reduces plant vigor and may cause leaves to be mottled, turn brown, and drop prematurely. |
| Blueberries | Mummy berry Mummy berry is one of the most serious diseases to affect blueberries and can cause nearly 100% yield loss if infection is widespread. It will also affect the following year’s crop. |
| Blueberries | Phomopsis Twig Blight Fungus (not common in Oregon and Washington) overwinters on infected plant debris; infection occurs through flower buds and wounds from budbreak to bloom, causing twig, flower, or shoot dieback. |
| Blueberries | Phytophthora Root Rot Infection can move from the roots to the crown and stems. Infected roots transport water and nutrients poorly, causing small, reddened leaves and overall plant stunting. |
| Raspberries | Phytophthora Root Rot . Roots become rotted and lack fibrous roots; canes and leaves on mature plants wilt, turn yellow and die. Plants may appear to recover, but new roots are often weak and lack lateral development. |
| Blackberries | Orange Rust Rare, but extremely serious economically. Fungi systemically infect the plants and floricanes never produce flowers. Can be confused with cane and leaf rust. |
| Strawberries | Powdery Mildew Edges of infected leaflets curl up, exposing undersides that often are reddened and coated with a grayish white powdery mildew fungus. Diseased leaves later turn purplish or red. |
| Raspberries | Powdery Mildew The characteristic symptom is a white powdery appearance in blotches on the leaf, cane or tip surface. |
| Blackberries | Powdery Mildew In spring, ascospores are the primary inoculum. Severe mildew retards, dwarfs, and distorts plant parts and makes fruit unsalable. |
| Blackberries | Purple Blotch During winter and spring, lesions become purple with a red margin. Affected areas develop into cankers and girdle canes. Severely affected canes die in spring. |
| Raspberries | Raspberry Beetle Small (1/6 inch) golden colored beetle. Larvae causes feeding damage on blooms and fruit. A major crop contaminant during harvest. |
| Raspberries | )Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus (RBDV Fruit from infected plants are often crumbly or small and do not make IQF grade. RBDV is spread by pollen and vectored by bees. |
| Blackberries | Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus (RBDV) Fruit from infected plants are often crumbly or small and do not make IQF grade. RBDV is spread by pollen and vectored by bees. |
| Raspberries | Raspberry Crown Borer A clearwing moth that resembles a yellowjacket wasp. Overwintering first-year larvae are white and about 1/4 inch long. They feed in early March on cane buds around the plant crown. Second year larvae up to 1 inch long feed in cane bases and can kill attacked canes. |
| Blackberries | Raspberry Crown Borer A clearwing moth that resembles a yellowjacket wasp. Overwintering first-year larvae are white and about 1/4 inch long. They feed in early March on cane buds around the plant crown. Second year larvae up to 1 inch long feed in cane bases and can kill attacked canes. |
| Strawberries | Red Stele This disease can show up twice during the season: during bloom it's called blossom blight; with the fruit it's called fruit rot. Blossom blight is characterized by petals and pedicels turning brown. Fruit rot expands rapidly near harvest with gray mold over fruit surface. |
| Blackberries | Redberry Mite Four-legged mite is only 1/50 inch long. Feeds at base of berry drupelets in spring and summer, which causes persistence of red color at harvest time. |
| Strawberries | Root-leison Nematodes Microscopic worm like animals that feed on roots. Infected plants are dwarfed, off-color, and grow poorly. |
| Raspberries | Root-leison Nematodes These are migratory endoparasites; part of the population is in soil and part is in the roots at all times. Infected plants are dwarfed, off-color, and grow poorly. |
| Raspberries | Sawfly Sawfly is a minor pest that can be confused with leafrollers. In late spring, larvae roll leaves and feed on undersides of leaf. Feeding not a problem, but they can be a contaminant in mechanically harvested fields. |
| Raspberries | Slugs Slugs can climb the canes and feed on foliage and berries. Their feeding and slime trails can reduce fruit quality. They can also be a contaminant in the harvested fruit. |
| Blueberries | Slugs Given the right environmental and field conditions, slugs can be cause economic damage. They climb the plant and feed on foliage and berries. Their feeding and slime trails can reduce fruit quality. They can be a contaminant in the harvested fruit. |
| Strawberries | Slugs Slugs can be a major problem during harvest when they feed on berries causing loss of quality. Damage is accompanied by slime trails, which can render fruit unmarketable. They can also be a harvest contaminant. |
| Blackberries | Slugs Slugs may climb canes and move onto berries, on which they become contaminants. |
| Raspberries | Snowy Tree Cricket Adults are winged, but otherwise resemble nymphs. They are whitish to light green, with slender bodies and long antennae. The black spots on the first two antenna segments. |
| Strawberries | Spittlebug White, slimy froth surrounds tiny yellow nymphs feeding on new growth. The nymphs suck juices from leaves and fruit spurs and can cause them to become distorted and stunted. resulting in some reduced yield and poorer fruit quality. |
| Raspberries | Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Adult flies are small (2-3 mm).They can lay eggs in fully intact under ripe, ripe, damaged or over ripe fruit. The eggs soon hatch into larvae (maggots) that are very small and white. Larvae feed on the fruit and cause it to soften or collapse. These vinegar flies have multiple generations within a growing season. |
| Strawberries | Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD Adult flies are small (2-3 mm).They can lay eggs in fully intact under ripe, ripe, damaged or over ripe fruit. The eggs soon hatch into larvae (maggots) that are very small and white. Larvae feed on the fruit and cause it to soften or collapse. These vinegar flies have multiple generations within a growing season. |
| Blueberries | Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Adult flies are small (2-3 mm).They can lay eggs in fully intact under ripe, ripe, damaged or over ripe fruit. The eggs soon hatch into larvae (maggots) that are very small and white. Larvae feed on the fruit and cause it to soften or collapse. These vinegar flies have multiple generations within a growing season. |
| Blackberries | Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Adult flies are small (2-3 mm).They can lay eggs in fully intact under ripe, ripe, damaged or over ripe fruit. The eggs soon hatch into larvae (maggots) that are very small and white. Larvae feed on the fruit and cause it to soften or collapse. These vinegar flies have multiple generations within a growing season. |
| Raspberries | Spur Blight This fungus overwinters on infected canes. Spores released from lesions infect floricane leaves. It is most apparent as a purplish/brown lesion around the bud on the lower portion of primocanes and may not be seen until mid-harvest. |
| Blackberries | Stamen Blight When infected fruit develops, the receptacle is constricted and a number of drupelets either fail to develop or do so unevenly. Ripening may be uneven, and fruit is hard and difficult to remove from the receptacle. |
| Raspberries | Stinkbug All adults are shield shaped but color and size can vary. Adults and egg masses on ripe fruit can cause quality issues and can also be a contaminant on harvested fruit. |
| Blackberries | Stinkbug All adults are shield shaped but color and size can vary. Adults and egg masses on ripe fruit can cause quality issues and can also be a contaminant on harvested fruit. |
| Strawberries | Strawberry Crown Moth Adults are clear winged moths that resemble yellow jackets and fly in June and July. Larvae are white with a brown head and approximately one inch long and overwinter in strawberry crowns and roots. |
| Blackberries | Strawberry Crown Moth Adults are clear winged moths that resemble yellow jackets. Larvae Larvae are white with a brown head and approximately one inch long and can girdle the crowns. |
| Raspberries | Strawberry Crown Moth Adults are clear winged moths that resemble yellow jackets. Larvae Larvae are white with a brown head and approximately one inch long and can girdle the crowns and seriously injure black raspberries and occasionally also red raspberries. |
| Blackberries | Thrips Tiny (1mm long, less than 1/20”, at maturity), slender insects. Larvae are about 0.25 mm long and white or straw-colored. Common flower feeders and can also feed on fruit and be a contaminant on harvested fruit. |
| Raspberries | Thrips Tiny (1mm long, less than 1/20”, at maturity), slender insects. Larvae are about 0.25 mm long and white or straw-colored. Common flower feeders and can also feed on fruit and be a contaminant on harvested fruit. |
| Raspberries | Tomato Ringspot Virus (TRsV) This virus is vectored by dagger nematodes. Plants grow very poorly producing few short canes with small crumbly fruit. |
| Strawberries | Verticillium Wilt Older leaves wilt and tend to curl up along the midvein. Inner (younger) leaves are small, bluish and dull. Plants often are stunted, dry, and flattened with small yellowish leaves, especially as fruit ripens. Brownish streaks occur in vascular tissue of crown roots or at the base of the petiole. |
| Raspberries | Verticillium Wilt Black raspberries are especially susceptible to this disease. New canes often wilt and bluish stripes or ribbons of infected tissue may extend up the canes from the ground. Leaves can wilt or take on a scorched appearance |
| Blueberries | Voles Presence of voles is indicated by chewing marks on canes and roots; surface runways in sawdust or grass row middles; and tunnel entrance holes about one inch in diameter. |
| Raspberries | Weevil, Black Vine Root Adults are about 1/3 inch long, black with patches of orange or yellow scales. They leave characteristic notch marks on leaf margins. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Blackberries | Weevil, Black Vine Root Adults are about 1/3 inch long, black with patches of orange or yellow scales. They leave characteristic notch marks on leaf margins. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Blueberries | Weevil, Black Vine Root Adults are about 1/3 inch long, black with patches of orange or yellow scales. They leave characteristic notch marks on leaf margins. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Strawberries | Weevil, Black Vine Root Adults are about 1/3 inch long, black with patches of orange or yellow scales. They leave characteristic notch marks on leaf margins. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Raspberries | Weevil, Clay Colored Larvae are white or pink, legless, "C" - shaped grubs that feed on roots. Adults are flightless, hard-shelled beetles, with long, downward curved mouth parts and elbowed antennae, about 3/8” long with reddish legs. |
| Raspberries | Weevil, Obscure Root |
| Blackberries | Weevil, Obscure Root |
| Blackberries | Weevil, Rough Strawberry Root Adults are snout-nosed beetles about 1/2- to 3/4-inch long, black to brown in color. They can cause serious economic losses as a harvest contaminant |
| Raspberries | Weevil, Rough Strawberry Root Adults are snout-nosed beetles about 1/2- to 3/4-inch long, black to brown in color. They can cause serious economic losses as a harvest contaminant |
| Blueberries | Weevil, Rough Strawberry Root Adults are snout-nosed beetles about 1/2- to 3/4-inch long, black to brown in color. They can cause serious economic losses as a harvest contaminant |
| Strawberries | Weevil, Rough Strawberry Root Adults are snout-nosed beetles about 1/2- to 3/4-inch long, black to brown in color. They can cause serious economic losses as a harvest contaminant |
| Blackberries | Weevil, Strawberry Root Adults are flightless, hard-shelled beetles slightly more than 1/4 inch long with coarse punctures on their wingless wing covers. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads. Black Vine larvae are up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Raspberries | Weevil, Strawberry Root Adults are flightless, hard-shelled beetles slightly more than 1/4 inch long with coarse punctures on their wingless wing covers. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads. Black Vine larvae are up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Strawberries | Weevil, Strawberry Root Adults are flightless, hard-shelled beetles slightly more than 1/4 inch long with coarse punctures on their wingless wing covers. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads. Black Vine larvae are up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Blueberries | Weevil, Strawberry Root Adults are flightless, hard-shelled beetles slightly more than 1/4 inch long with coarse punctures on their wingless wing covers. Larvae are legless, C-shaped, and white or pink with brown heads. Black Vine larvae are up to 1.3 cm long when fully grown. |
| Raspberries | Winter Moth/Bruce Spanworm Winter moth larvae are green about 1" long when fully grown and have two distinct white stripes along length of their back. Bruce spanworm larvae are more overall tan colored. |
| Blueberries | Winter Moth/Bruce Spanworm Winter moth larvae are green about 1" long when fully grown and have two distinct white stripes along length of their back. Bruce spanworm larvae are more overall tan colored |
| Blackberries | Winter Moth/Bruce Spanworm Winter moth larvae are green about 1" long when fully grown and have two distinct white stripes along length of their back. Bruce spanworm larvae are more overall tan colored |
| Raspberries | Yellow Rust Yellowish spotting on the upper leaf surface. By summer, yellow spores appear on the lower leaf surface. By harvest, black overwintering spores appear on the lower leaf surface. |
