Does Anthonomus rubi utilize potentilla spp. in the Fraser Valley, BC

Monday, November 14, 2022

9:12 AM – 9:24 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 111/112

Presenting Author(s)

Aysha b. McConkey

Undergraduate student
University of the Fraser Valley
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Co-Author(s)

JS

Jade Sherwood

Graduate Student
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Warren Hung Leuk Wong

Graduate Student
The University of British Columbia
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Michelle T. Franklin

Entomologist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada
Tracy K. Hueppelsheuser

Entomologist
British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

The strawberry blossom weevils (Anthonomus rubi) is an invasive insect species that is a major concern in the invaded regions of British Columbia (BC), Canada as their larvae feed and develop on the buds of cultivated and wild plants from the family Rosaceae. This invasive pest was first found in cultivated raspberries (Rubus idaeus) in Abbotsford BC in 2019 and has since been identified on other species in the Rosaceae family in the Fraser Valley of BC. In Europe, its native range, A. rubi is a pest of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa), raspberries (Rubus idaeus), and wild species of roses. Across Canada, there is an active survey to delineate the distribution of A. rubi and identify associated host plant species. A survey conducted in 2021 in its native range of Switzerland found A. rubi adults present on the ornamental plant, Potentilla fruticosa. To determine the importance of Potentilla spp. as a host plant for A. rubi in the Fraser Valley of BC, we examine the presence of adult A. rubi on Potentilla spp. throughout its established range and determined if A. rubi uses P. fruticosa as a feeding or oviposition host medium. This research will help expand our existing knowledge of host plant usage by A. rubi and aid in understanding their distribution.