CRANBERRY IPM

Jessica Metzger
Department of Entomology

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA

This page was prepared as a class project for Entomology 4984 - Arthropod Management in Fruit Crops, Fall 1998

Univ. of Wisc. photo

Updated December 9, 1998

Cranberry production in the U.S. has increased steadily since the 1960s. In 1997 the amount of harvested bogs reached 35,500 acres. This is expected to incrase to 37,540 acres by 1999. This industry is highly specialized because cranberry culture in limited to acid bog or swamp areas (Childers 1983). Only five states have a significant cranberry industry; Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
Cranberries are considered wetlands under the Federal definition by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (Roper and Vorsa 1997). As a result of this growers must be able to show that activities undertaken in their bogs have no adverse environmental effect (Roper and Vorsa 1997). This is one of the reason along with public pressure to reduce pesticide usage (Sandler 1993) accounts for the large amount of interest by the cranberry industry in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods. Massachusetts was the first state to implement a formal IPM program, and was soon followed by Wisconsin, Washington, and New Jersey (Lasota 1990). There are a wide variety of IPM methods being used in cranberries including cultural controls such as flooding, and monitoring methods such as pheromone trapping and scouting. This site indicates the major cranberry insect pests and provides many links to cranberry IPM information around the country.

1997 U.S. Cranberry Production Statistics (and 1998 forecast)

Cranberry Insect Pests

Pest ID Key - for all pests listed below(UMASS)

Scouting a Cranberry Bog

Major Insect Pests in Wisconsin Bogs (Univ. Of WI Fact Sheet (pdf file))

Direct Pests

Cranberry Fruitworm (Acrbasis vaccinii) (NC State)

Sparganothis Fruitworm (Sparganothis sulfureana) (UMASS photo Adult and larva)

Cranberry Weevil (Anthonomus musculus) (UMass photo)

Brown Spanworm ( Ematurga amitaria) (photo larvae and damage)

Indirect Pests

Blackheaded Fireworm(Maine Extension)

Additional information(Northwest Berry & Grape Info Net)

Cranberry Girdler (Maine Extension)
Additional information(Northwest Berry & Grape Info Net)

Cranberry Tipworm(Maine Extension)
Additional information(Northwest Berry & Grape Info Net)

Cranberry Blossomworm (Eplgiaea apiata) (photo larvae)

Cranberry Root Grub (Lichnanthe vulpina) (UMass photos of adult (on left) and larva)

Cranberry White Grub (Phyllophaga anxia) (UMass photos of adult (on right) and larva)

Gyspy Moth (Lymantria dispar) (UMASS photo)

Root Weevils

Green Cranberry Spanworm (Itame sulphurea) (UMass photo)

False Armyworm (Xylena nupera) (Maine Extension)

Southern Red Mite (Oligonychus ilicis) (UMass photo)

Cutworms (Northwest Berry & Grape Info Net)