Raspberry Flea Beetle

Hi there,

For some reason I don't find too much info on this pest when I google it. I just want to know how to stop the life cycle - I forgo, or don't let flower, all of the canes next year, will I be getting rid of them?

 

Batophila aerata seems to be a minor pest, rarely producing more than cosmetic
damage. It's probably best to let nature control them rather than intervene.

 

I would rather not eat this pest though, and could see them in our raspberries over the past month.

 

Neem oil is non-toxic and an excellent anti-feedant. That should send them packing.
http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-insecticide.html

 

thank you!

 

Are you sure that you have flea beetles and not sap or picnic beetles (Glischrochilus fasciatus)? I see the latter in and on berries of various types frequently, but flea beetles seem to be more interested in leaves.

 

Hi there,
I just assumed it is the Rasp. Flea beetle larva. They are tiny white grubs, but very thin and worm like in shape, and are only about 1/2 - 1/4 mm. long.
The raspberries themselves look fine until they are picked and then I notice them on the inside. The leaves do not appear to be affected.

 

If you only see the larvae and not the adults, they are probably neither flea beetles nor sap beetles. Around here small white grubs are most likely to be the larvae of fruit flies, specifically Spotted Wing Drosophila. I don't know if you have anything similar in the UK, but I notice that the raspberry beetle is a problem there. If the grubs are really only a fraction of a mm long, then they are likely fruit fly larvae. If you meant a fraction of an inch, then raspberry beetle larvae are most likely.

 

Thank you!!!! I am actually living in Victoria now. They really are very tiny so are probably fruit flies.

Thanks very much!