Posted by Thomas Brand on 25-08-2017 08:15
#1
Hi all,
in a nursery producing Vaccinium (blueberry) there are several insects and the farmer wants to know, if These could be harmful.
Could you please help me withn the diptera?
The first two shoukd be Tephritidae.
Thanks!
Thomas
Posted by Nosferatumyia on 25-08-2017 09:21
#3
None is harmful, and none eats blueberries.
The first is
Rivellia syngenesiae, whose larvae feed by nitrogene-fixing nodules on legumes.
The second is a
Sepsis, whose larvae are predators on other insect lavae (usually in dung).
To my knowledge, there is no fruit flies feeding in the blueberry fruits in Europe.
According to Foote, Blanc and Norrbom (1993) in the USA and Canada,
Rhagoletis mendax "has long been known to infest commercial plantings of blueberries, and no fewer than 11 additional species of
Vaccinium have been recorded as hosts (Wasbauer 1972). Three species of
Gaylussacia also are regarded as preferred hosts (Bush 1966a)."
No cases of its introduction to Europe, however, are known, on the contrary to the other Rhagoletis species, American Cherry fruit fly and the Walnut Husk fruitly, which are now widespread pests.
Edited by Nosferatumyia on 25-08-2017 09:27