Establishment of strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi in British Columbia: a new threat to berry production

Citation

Franklin, M.T., Wong, W., Abram. P., and J. Carrillo. 2021 Establishment of strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi in British Columbia: a new threat to berry production. Invasive Species Research Conference. Virtual Meeting. Oct 6-7, 2021.

Abstract

We report the establishment of the strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in British Columbia, Canada. This is the first detection of A. rubi, outside of its native range which includes Europe, Asia, and North Africa. This weevil is a serious pest of Rosaceae and is of potential concern for strawberry and raspberry production in British Columbia. This weevil directly impacts fruit yield, as adult female weevils damage developing flower buds by laying their eggs inside the closed, green buds and severing the flower stalks below. Here we describe the current distribution of A. rubi in its new range, observed host plant associations, and observations of an associated larval parasitoid from the genus Pteromalus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) that could hold potential as a naturally occurring biocontrol agent in the future.

Publication date

2021-10-06