Pests

• There are few pests of the American cranberry bush. Dogwood borers are the only insect pests known to sometimes cause injury to this plant.
  
  

Dogwood Borer

• The insect is a moth that hatches from an egg after a nine-day incubation period, ranging from white to pink in color. As an adult, it appears as a black-and-yellow striped, winged insect. The larvae feed on the wood, resulting in declining health, stunted growth and eventual death of the plant over several growing season.
  
  

Considerations

• Control borers with residual insecticide applied to the trunk of the bush between the first and peak egg hatching periods. Gardeners experiencing problems with unhealthy cranberry bushes should consider other causes, including several fungal diseases common in these plants. Canker, gray mold, rot and wilt all affect the cranberry bush.