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Blueberry Tip Borer

Blueberry Tip Borer

Blueberry Tip Borer (Hendecaneura shawiana) causes drying of terminal leaves and tip wilting in blueberry .

Two healthy young blueberry canes and one wilted cane with green stem and dry, reddish upper leaves. Lower leaves are healthy.
Photo courtesy M. Longstroth, MSU.

Look for a pinhole, sometimes plugged with frass, below the wilted leaves. Adult moths lay a single egg on succulent shoot tips.

Close-up of blueberry stem with a circular orange mark. Center of orange mark is a hole plugged with orange frass.
Blueberry tip borer entrance hole.

The larva burrows into the shoot and begins feeding.

Young blueberry cane tip with brownish line along uppermost stem.
Blueberry tip borer feeding damage on young shoot.

Terminal leaves dry and shoot tips wilt.

Cut-off blueberry shoo, cut at the upper 4 inches of the branch. Uppermost leaves are dry and brown, lower leaves are healthy and green.
Blueberry tip borer damage.
Blueberry stem with brown discoloration and damaged stem at terminal tip.
Early symptoms of blueberry tip borer damage.

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