Project Summaries

USDA CPPM (2024-2026): Improving Management of a Key Insect Pest of Blueberries Through Optimization of Pollination Services

To improve current management strategies of plum curculio, an integrated pest and pollinator management strategy will be investigated. Plum curculio is a persistent pest of blueberries in the mid-Atlantic and damage fruit through a scar left from oviposition and feeding damage and premature fruit drop from larvae. Management can be conducted post-bloom, but pesticides cannot be applied while honey bees are present. Because plum curculio adults arrive in blueberries around peak bloom, growers cannot adequately respond to increasing populations. Honey bee hives are currently kept in blueberries until the end of bloom, but whether this is contributes significantly to yields is not known. The benefits of removing hives early to increase yields and better manage plum curculio may outweigh any effects on late-season fruit production. This project’s goal is to use plum curculio management as a model for effective creation and implementation of IPPM strategies in pollinator-dependent crops. The specific objectives of this multi-disciplinary project are: 1) create a bloom phenology model as a predictor of plum curculio arrival; 2) determine how yield is affected by earlier plum curculio management and hive removal and use a cost-benefit analysis to demonstrate economic impact and; 3) deliver and disseminate information among stakeholders. Our project addresses the USDA Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) Applied Research and Development (Research-led project) by creating an innovative, ecologically-based, sustainable IPM strategy for plum curculio and enhance its adoption.

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Revised: September 14, 2025