Evaluation of New Approaches for Management of Japanese Beetles in Highbush Blueberries

摘要

The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, can be a pest of highbush blueberries because of direct feeding on berries and leaves, and the risk of contaminating harvested fruit. To determine where beetles are most abundant and whether cultural controls have potential for use against P. japonica in blueberry, soil was sampled for grubs during 2001 and 2002 in and around fifteen blueberry fields. Densities of overwintering P. japonica were greater under permanent sod outside fields than in the soil betweenthe rows. When grub density inside the fields was compared between clean-cultivated rows and those with sodded row middles, cultivated rows had significantly lower grub densities than those with sod. Bioassays with pyrethrum insecticides against adult beetles indicated their potential for removal of beetles from bushes just prior to harvest. An integrated strategy including elimination of suitable habitat by cultivation and use of chemical controls to remove beetles before harvest is under developmentfor reducing populations and minimizing contamination of blueberry by this pest.