What's eating my elderberry 'adams'?

Elderberry 'Adams' is susceptible to elderberry borer, which hollows out canes and causes wilt — the primary structural threat. Aphids congregate on tender shoots in spring. Spotted wing drosophila attacks ripe berries, and birds can strip a ripe cluster in hours without netting protection.

Canes wilt and die mid-season; orange-and-black adult beetles visible on canes in early summer; larval tunnels inside woody stems Hand-pick adult beetles in June-July; cut wilted canes to the ground and destroy. Maintain plant vigor with balanced fertilizing to encourage rapid regrowth.

Dense colonies on shoot tips, causing leaf curl and reduced vigor on new growth in spring and early summer Insecticidal soap or neem oil spray in the morning; water blast; avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer that produces the soft growth aphids prefer.

Oviposition scars and internal larvae in berries just before or at peak ripeness; rapid fruit breakdown Fine-mesh exclusion netting from early ripening; prompt harvest; yellow sticky traps to monitor adult fly pressure.