What's eating my raspberries?

Raspberries are targeted by raspberry beetle, birds, aphids, and cane borers. Raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus in the UK / Byturus unicolor in North America) is the classic pest — its grubs are the 'maggots in the fruit'. Birds take ripe fruit. Aphids spread viruses. Netting the crop and timely spray timing around flowering are the main controls.

Small creamy grubs inside ripe fruit; maggoty berries that collapse when handled; adult beetles also nibble at blossoms. In the UK, apply an approved pyrethrin or spinosad spray at 80% petal fall and again 2 weeks later; destroy infested fruit; cultivate soil in winter to expose overwintering pupae.

Ripe berries stripped from canes; significant yield loss on unprotected plantings — can lose entire harvest. Erect a fruit cage with fine-mesh netting; drape netting over individual rows supported on hoops from the moment fruit starts to colour.

Curled, puckered leaves on shoot tips; sticky honeydew; critically, raspberry aphid transmits several yield-reducing viruses causing mosaic disease and poor fruit set. Plant certified virus-free canes; use virus-tolerant varieties where available; apply insecticidal soap early in the season; remove and burn mosaic-affected canes.

Two rings of punctures near shoot tips; tip wilts and dies (flagging); grubs tunnel down into the cane over winter. Cut flagged tips below both rings of punctures as soon as seen; destroy prunings; avoid excessive nitrogen fertiliser which produces lush, attractive new growth.