Raspberry beetles indigenous to north-central Europe are a part of the fruitworm family. They majorly infest raspberry plants which they identify using their olfactory and visual cues, resulting in their name.
Size:3.8-5 mm (0.15-0.2 inches)
Color: Its color varies from pale brown to reddish-brown.
Other physical features: They have short hairs all over their body.
It is a brownish-white grub, measuring about 8mm, covered with dark bands.
They are present in the soil from late summer to early autumn, finally emerging into an adult beetle.
The eggs are small, and white, with the females laying up to 120 of them on their host plant’s flowers.
| Lifespan | Around two months |
| Distribution | North-Central Europe |
| Habitat | Wherever the host plants grow like forest clearings, riverbanks,disturbed areas, roadcol3s, and old fields |
| Common Predators | No significant predators |
| Seasons active | Mid-Spring to early Summer |
| Host Plants | Raspberry, loganberry, boysenberry, tayberry, and blackberry plants |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Developing fruit Adults: Leaves and flowers of the plant |
The larvae tunnel into ripening berries, reducing their size, making them pale, and shriveled, causing them to immaturely rot away.
Adults heavily damage the leaves, resulting in defoliation. It even harms the flowers by eating them and laying eggs on the pistils and stamen.
By spraying pesticides and handpicking the berries, one could possibly control the infestation to a certain extent.
Image Source: live.staticflickr.com, gardenerspath.com, biopix.com, whatcom.wsu.edu, alchetron.com
Raspberry beetles indigenous to north-central Europe are a part of the fruitworm family. They majorly infest raspberry plants which they identify using their olfactory and visual cues, resulting in their name.
Size:3.8-5 mm (0.15-0.2 inches)
Color: Its color varies from pale brown to reddish-brown.
Other physical features: They have short hairs all over their body.
It is a brownish-white grub, measuring about 8mm, covered with dark bands.
They are present in the soil from late summer to early autumn, finally emerging into an adult beetle.
The eggs are small, and white, with the females laying up to 120 of them on their host plant’s flowers.
| Lifespan | Around two months |
| Distribution | North-Central Europe |
| Habitat | Wherever the host plants grow like forest clearings, riverbanks,disturbed areas, roadcol3s, and old fields |
| Common Predators | No significant predators |
| Seasons active | Mid-Spring to early Summer |
| Host Plants | Raspberry, loganberry, boysenberry, tayberry, and blackberry plants |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Developing fruit Adults: Leaves and flowers of the plant |
The larvae tunnel into ripening berries, reducing their size, making them pale, and shriveled, causing them to immaturely rot away.
Adults heavily damage the leaves, resulting in defoliation. It even harms the flowers by eating them and laying eggs on the pistils and stamen.
By spraying pesticides and handpicking the berries, one could possibly control the infestation to a certain extent.
Image Source: live.staticflickr.com, gardenerspath.com, biopix.com, whatcom.wsu.edu, alchetron.com
