Description

Adult

Length of 2-3.2 mm (not including rostrum). Usually black but sometimes with red or brown sheen. Pubescence of elytra sparse and grey. First furnicular antennal segment more than twice as long as wide. Antennae emanating from the terminal third of rostrum.

Larvae

Length of 3-3.5 mm. Curved “C”shaped and white with a brown head.

Eggs

White, smooth, shiny and slightly oval in shape, deposited into holes made in the floral tissue of its host.

Distribution

Central, Northern and Western Europe.

Economic Host(s)

Strawberry (Fragaria) and to a lesser extent Raspberry (Rubus)

Symptoms/Signs

Following oviposition into the flower bud, females sever the stalk to prevent sap flow, thus killing the developing flower. Adults also feed on foliage. Plant beating should help check for the presence of adults.

Generations:

Generations: Generations: 1 per year