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Raspberry worms?
Stephen Cornish
Posts: 72
in Fruit & veg
I have photos but due to the oddities on the forum atm I have to use the basic editor for threads 
So, I'll describe the blighters first ... Not much longer than a fingernail. There are "scales" going horizontally quite regularly at regular distances if you look at them from head to toe. Almost a see through like appearance to the body. The scales themselves seem to have a slight dark tone to them in places, but unlike typical maggots, the front or back isn't much different to the rest of the dark tones on the scales; i.e. no obvious black "face". In terms of thickness, they are about a tad wider than a classic long thin drinking straw. If anyone has any urls/link to obvious candidates, let me know. Any ideas folks? And, what to do?
So, I'll describe the blighters first ... Not much longer than a fingernail. There are "scales" going horizontally quite regularly at regular distances if you look at them from head to toe. Almost a see through like appearance to the body. The scales themselves seem to have a slight dark tone to them in places, but unlike typical maggots, the front or back isn't much different to the rest of the dark tones on the scales; i.e. no obvious black "face". In terms of thickness, they are about a tad wider than a classic long thin drinking straw. If anyone has any urls/link to obvious candidates, let me know. Any ideas folks? And, what to do? 0
Posts
Raspberry beetle?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yep!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes, that looks spot on; raspberry beetle! What's the prognosis and treatment? Just pick them out and don't worry?
That's what we used to do
RHS does suggest some pesticides https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=522
I don't like spraying things I'm going to eat, so I prefer to grow autumn-fruiting raspberries which don't seem to suffer from raspberry beetle attacks.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Pretty much, yes. Make sure you pick every fruit though as the lifecycle of the beetle involves the grubs dropping to the ground when they emerge from the ripe fruit and burying themselves where they pupate, ready to emerge as adults next year and which will lay eggs on the young flowers. If you can break that cycle it should reduce damage next year. One way of doing that is to lift some of the new canes, wash the soil from their roots and plant in another part of the garden.
I'm with Dove on the Autumn fruiting ones (Polka is excellent) for the same reason!
Not got any garden to move the canes too; we're full up
Maybe some autumn ones might be good.
What's best to do now must of fruit is out? Just try getting rid of as much grub as you can find? I read somewhere to suggest hoeing ground around canes to get grubs into open for birds to eat.
Depends how fussy/hungry you are
Think I'd pull them out, dig the patch over, let the birds get at anything they can find, and plant some Polka next February. Love Polka, large really tasty fruit - huge crops.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.