Strawberry clipper (strawberry bud weevil)

About

A reddish-brown to nearly black snout beetle only about a tenth of an inch long, with dark spots on its back. Females lay an egg in an unopened flower bud and then cut the bud stem.

Spotting it

Damage

Unopened buds hang by a thread or drop off as if snipped with scissors. UNH reports losses of 50 to 75% in some areas.

How to find it early

Before bloom, check plants along field edges near woods for dangling or cut buds.

When

Spring, from early bud through bloom.

Life cycle

Adults spend winter in mulch and leaf litter and become active around bloom. Each female lays 20 to 30 eggs; larvae grow inside the clipped buds and new adults appear in midsummer. There is one generation a year.

What to do, gentlest first

Start at the top. Sprays are a last step; always read and follow the product label.

1. Choose forgiving varieties and remove nearby hosts Prevent

   Varieties that set many flowers can make up for clipped buds by growing the rest larger (UNH). Remove weedy or unmanaged brambles nearby, where the weevils also breed.

2. Insecticide only if clipping is heavy Conventional spray

   UNH advises using a product labeled for strawberries, following your state's small-fruit guide, when scouting before bloom finds many clipped buds.

   Most insecticides that kill weevils are toxic to bees (PNW 591), and this pest is active at bloom: spray before flowers open or when bees are not working, and follow the label and pre-harvest interval.

Plants it goes after

Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Pressure by region

Sourced for New Hampshire (UNH) and Minnesota (UMN, which says it shows up only occasionally). Other regions are rated low for lack of a source; those ratings are estimates.

Ratings come from extension sources where available; some are estimates, as noted above.