Eggs are laid randomly in the leaf litter and are white at first, changing to an orangish-red tint as they hatch.
The female may produce up to 700 eggs, with up to 300 laid on the first day. The eggs are oval and are 0.4-0.5 mm in length.
The larvae are white with a brown head, and each body segment has several black hairs of varying sizes. They may grow up to 15.0 mm in length.
The pupae are pale yellow and 10 mm long, and they live in a cocoon constructed of twigs, leaves, or other scraps discovered in the leaf litter and held together with silk lines.
The adult’s body is silvery white, with pale straw forewings and silver bands.
Host plant:
The Cranberry girdler is a member of the sod webworm complex that feeds on the roots of both cultivated and wild types of grass. Vaccinium macrocarpon, Cranberry Rumex acetosella, Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, sheep sorrel
Territory:
It is found throughout much of North America.
Damages caused by Cranberry girdler:
Cranberry girdler larvae chew through the bark of the underground runners, severing the vine altogether. More typically, the larvae chew the bark around a runner (girdling), killing the vine beyond that point. It is also possible to target the roots.Often, the larvae do not completely wrap the vine, but they weaken it and produce less vigorous fruit. Due to the lower quality of the vines, the foliage turns red or brown in September, and many of the leaves fall off, especially during the winter flood, leaving regions of dead vines. New runners might take years to spread out and re-cover the area.
Life history and Habits:
The cranberry girdler survives the winter as an adult larva in a cocoon hidden in the leaf litter on the beds. When the winter flood is removed in early spring, the larva pupates within the cocoon, and the adults emerge in June. Adult emergence might last until August. The larvae emerge about 10- 12 days after the eggs are deposited randomly on the cranberry bed floor. The larvae prefer drier environments with a lot of fallen leaves and garbage. The larvae are concealed in the rubbish layer and feed on the vines above the soil surface. The larvae form a cocoon to overwinter in late September to early October, and there is only one generation every season.
