How do you find a strawberry blossom weevil in a briar patch?

The berry pest Anthonomus rubi, or the strawberry blossom weevil (SBW), was detected in British Columbia, Canada, in 2019 and in Washington State in 2021. The beetle has been recorded on multiple hosts throughout the Fraser Valley in BC and lowland areas of adjacent western WA. The beetle is expected to expand farther south and ultimately reach other berry-growing areas in the western USA. The probability of the species spreading further in the US is high given its small and cryptic habitus and ability to fly. Survey techniques are mostly adopted from sparse research on the species in its native range, which focused on mass trapping in crop situations rather than early detection under general field conditions. We tested multiple survey techniques to determine which approach is most effective at detecting beetles while being efficient and economical. Our results indicate that sticky cards with an appropriate lure and beat surveys most frequently detect beetles, but uni-traps may be similarly effective over extended periods. One treatment (partially buried uni-traps) was effective but sometimes compromised by excessive bycatch of slugs and rodents, which made trap contents unidentifiable due to slime and putrefaction.