What's eating my glen ample raspberry?

Glen Ample raspberry, the UK's leading commercial floricane variety, faces raspberry beetle as its primary insect pest — larvae are the notorious 'raspberry maggot' found in fruit. Aphids transmit raspberry mosaic virus, which is the most damaging long-term threat. Birds strip ripe fruit rapidly, and cane blight can follow injury. Netting and virus-tested stock are both essential.

Larvae bore into ripening fruits, creating the classic 'maggot in the raspberry'; adult beetles also damage blossoms; infested fruit is unmarketable Spray with pyrethrin or bifenthrin at 80% petal fall, repeat two weeks later; do not spray open flowers; encourage ground beetles as natural predators; fine mesh over fruiting canes

Colonies on shoot tips cause leaf curl and distortion; more critically, they transmit raspberry mosaic virus and other viruses that progressively weaken the plant over seasons Purchase certified virus-free planting stock; insecticidal soap for aphid colonies; encourage ladybirds and hoverflies; remove and destroy virus-infected plants — no cure once infected

Ripe red berries eaten directly; a single flock of starlings can strip a row within an hour; canes accessible from above and the sides Fine-mesh bird netting (2 cm or smaller) over a fruit cage structure; commercial fruit cage netting held on permanent posts is standard UK practice for raspberries

Eggs laid inside ripe and near-ripe fruits; larvae cause soft, collapsing berries; damage is difficult to distinguish from overripeness until larvae are found Fine mesh netting (1 mm) prevents egg-laying; spinosad sprays from first colour change; keep harvests frequent to avoid overripe fruit accumulation