What Insects Eat Blackberries?

Borers

• Two types of borers, the raspberry crown borer and the rednecked cane borer, commonly infest blackberry plants. The raspberry crown borer looks like a yellowjacket, and it lays its eggs at the base of blackberry plants. Hatched raspberry crown borer larvae eat the bottom of blackberry canes, weakening and destroying them. The rednecked cane borer, as the name implies, has a red, shiny thorax. The adults eat the tips of blackberry leaves, and their larvae tunnel through and destroy the canes.

Thrips

• Thrips, tiny, flying insects with a brown or yellow body, contaminate blackberries before and after their harvest. Thrips stunt plants and cause leaf distortion. They also spread diseases, such as impatiens necrotic spot virus, to the blackberry plant. To find thrips, tap on the plant's flowers. The small insects, if present, will fly and hover around the plant. Predatory insects, such as lacewings and wasps, help control thrips.

Beetles

• Japanese beetles are one type of beetle often found on blackberry plants. Japanese beetles have brownish-orange, metallic bodies with a single green stripe on the back. They cause the most damage in June and July, when they mate, lay their eggs and eat blackberry fruit and leaves. Green June beetles look much like Japanese beetles. Pheromones alert the beetles to ripe blackberries. Both the larvae and adults feed on blackberry fruit. Use traps designed for catching beetles to control these pests.

Other Pests

• Blackberry plants are attractive to the twospotted spider mite. The spider mites are very small, and they feed on the plant's chlorophyll. Predatory mites sometimes control spider mites naturally. Stink bugs are another common blackberry pest. They are colored either brown or green. Stink bugs feed on blackberries in April and May. Insecticide works best to control them. Tree crickets also attack blackberries. The females lay their eggs inside the canes, and larvae feed on the canes. If infestation is serious, it is best to destroy the infested canes.