Come meet the folks working at the WSU Satellite Research Station and learn more about practical scouting tips for rust, clay weevils, and raspberry fruitworm. Breakfast meetings will be held at Dutch Mothers at this same time on the first Wednesday of every month from now through September. This weevil, also known as the bud weevil, is present at damaging levels again this year in a few fields. It is not widespread but populations are quite high in some fields and spot treatments appear necessary to protect flower buds and prevent possible yield loss. Examine new growth in several areas in a field for signs of feeding damage from these pests.
Damaged leaves have angular notching of leaf margins which is characteristic of weevil feeding.
If you see this type of damage, you should carefully search between canes around the base of the hill where most adult weevils congregate during the day or use a beating tray to knock them from the canopy. The beating tray will not give as precise a count, but is a practical way to extract this and other insects from the foliage so that they can be identified. Beating tray counts of weevils will be higher at night, but a percentage of the population remains in the canopy during the day, particularly if it is cool and cloudy. This insect has only one generation per year, and the damaging stage is present only during the spring, usually in March and April. Damage from this insect is rarely if ever economic and therefore does not usually require chemical treatment.