Troublesome pest for blueberry growers

17:05:20 7th May 2010

Garden and greenhouse owners who grow blueberries have been warned to watch out for a troublesome pest.

According to Horticulture Week, the Farm Advisory Services Team has highlighted the light-brown apple moth as a potential troublemaker.

It said that the Epiphyas postvittana has been growing in numbers and that, once established, is almost impossible to get rid of.

Consultant Rob Cook told the news provider that the bug population has been spreading rapidly over the past few years.

"Larvae roll together leaves, buds, shoots and fruit clusters to make a webbing. They eat immature fruits before burrowing and hollowing out the berries," he explained.

Mr Cook noted that the lack of approved insecticides against the moth makes eradication extremely difficult.

He added that there are even fewer measures available for use on blueberries, which makes things especially problematic.

One solution is Dimilin Flo, which has been given special approval, and pheromone traps can be used to monitor the number of moths in the area.

In other news, Horticulture Week revealed that many garden centres suffered as a result of the poor weather over the May bank holiday.