Hemadas nubilipennis
Blueberry stem gall wasp
Blueberry stem galls are created by tiny black wasps. This gall wasp creates its home on the stems of many species of blueberries and huckleberries. The galls are appearing on some cultivars too. It is native to northern and eastern North America, from Canada to Florida.
Identification: The gall wasp itself is 1/16–⅛″ (2–3 mm) long, and black. A female wasp repeatedly stabs the tip of a growing stem with its ovipositor, which makes it stop growing. Then she lays eggs on the tip, secreting chemicals that cause the plant to produce the gall—housing for the developing larvae. The galls swell to ¼–1½″ (6.3–38 mm), irregular, often kidney-shaped masses that are green or red in color. Old galls become brown, hard and pithy.
Habitats: Wild blueberry and huckleberry shrubs and subshrubs, as well as some cultivars.
Online References:
8/12/2014 · Andres Institute of Art, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 5″ (15 × 12 cm) 
8/12/2014 · Andres Institute of Art, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
| Parents | Unknown | Genus is not in the current taxonomy |
| Genus | Hemadas | |
| Species | nubilipennis |
Hemadas nubilipennis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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