Our Pest Control Expert, Julian Ives, has spent many years advising commercial growers and gardeners on the subject of safe and efficient natural pest control treatments.

Here he shares his experience on the problems Raspberry Beetle can cause in the garden and how to get the best results from the Raspberry Beetle Trap... 

Using the Raspberry Beetle Trap 
The new innovative Raspberry beetle trap is designed to catch and trap Raspberry beetle adults. The design is based on a funnel trap commonly used in commercial horticulture and agriculture. The white vanes on the trap mimic raspberry flowers. The beetles are attracted by the special raspberry beetle attractant lure and fly into the white vanes and fall into the funnel trap below. Suspend the trap 1 metre from the ground near or amongst the Raspberry plants. Fill the trap with a small amount of water and empty the trap contents about once a week. If you see the trap has caught 5-10 beetles per week you should consider a curative spray programme against the remaining raspberry beetles. Make sure you use a spray safe to use on edible plants. Insect Killer spray containing Pyrethrum is our recommended product for this treatment. The attractant lures in the trap last six weeks, so make sure you replace every six weeks and keep the trap active from April –August.

Appearance and Lifecycle
Raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) adults lay their eggs on raspberry flowers from May to mid-August. These develop into white larvae about 8mm long. The adult Raspberry beetles are small and light brown. In the late summer the fully developed larvae fall into the soil and overwinter as pupae.

Symptoms and Damage
The damage raspberry beetle causes can be significant to cane fruit. The adults feed on flowers and larvae on the developing fruit. Berries become blemished and little grey-white grubs are often found inside raspberries when they are harvested. The damage caused can also let fungi attack the fruit.

Natural Choice Treatments
A combination of natural choice products can be used to treat this damaging pest. The first step is to monitor and catch the adult raspberry beetles with the new Raspberry Beetle Trap. Any survivors can be killed with the pyrethrum-based Insect Killing Spray.