WSU Extension

Hortsense

Blackberry
 
Disease
Fruit rot 
Leaf and cane spot 
Insect
Brown marmorated stink bug 
Raspberry crown borer 
Redberry mite 
Spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) 



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Caption: Raspberry crown borer larvae and damage
Photo by: E.P. Breakey
  
Blackberry : Raspberry crown borer
(revision date: 5/1/2017)


Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for successful plant problem management.

Biology
The adult raspberry crown borer is a clearwing moth with a wingspan of 1" to 1 1/2". The moth closely resembles a yellowjacket. Females lay eggs on the canes or leaf margins. The caterpillars hatch by fall (around October) and overwinter in small cells near the base of the canes. In the spring, the larvae tunnel deeper into the canes and feed inside the canes. The canes may appear swollen or galled as a result. The caterpillars spend a second winter in the canes before emerging as adults the following summer. The larvae are white with brown heads. During the second winter they are typically 1/4" long. They reach their full size of 1" to 1 1/2" long by the following summer. The borers can cause extensive damage to the canes, roots, and crown, weakening blackberries and related varieties including 'Logan' and 'Boysen' berries. They may cause death of raspberries.
Management Options

Non-Chemical Management
  • Cut or dig out and destroy galled canes and infested crowns in late fall or early spring.
  • Remove other hosts in the area, including wild blackberries.
Select non-chemical management options as your first choice!

Chemical Management
IMPORTANT: Visit Home and Garden Fact Sheets for more information on using pesticides

No products are registered for home use for this pest.

Images

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Caption: Raspberry crown borer larvae and damage
Photo by: E.P. Breakey