The adult raspberry cane borer (Oberea bimaculata ) appears in June. It is a slender black beetle about 1/2″ long.
Image: Michigan State University
This pest is a slender, dark coloured beetle, about 12 mm long, with antennae as long as its body. It can be recognized by the yellow band near its head and the long antennae. Larvae are white, cylindrical and legless.
Adult females chew two zipper-like rings about 1″ apart around the tips of raspberry primocanes, usually about 4″ – 8″ below the tip of the shoot. She then lays an egg between the punctures.
When the egg hatches the larva bores into the pith and feeds until it overwinters in the cane. The next season the larva bores down to the base of the cane and overwinters at or below ground level.
The larva pupate in the spring and the adults emerge around June. They are most active in June, July and August. Primocanes wilt immediately after egg-laying occurs.
The cane borer usually only attacks a few plants out of the patch each year, so if you pay attention you should be able to control it before the borer does any great damage to your whole patch. Keep a close eye on the patch in June and July, look frequently for signs of the tips wilting.
The best control is accomplished by looking for and cutting off the affected canes a few inches below the point of the damage.
Do not compost or reuse them for anything, the best plan is to burn the infected canes and be sure the pest is out of your garden. You can see in the image below the two dark rings around the cane in the background of the wilted leaves. Their life cycle usually takes 2 years but sometimes they complete it in one year.
Pesticide
There isn’t usually a need for pesticide if you have a consistent watch going on for wilting cane tips and disposing of them completely. If the infestation is severe, pesticide sprays are targeted at the adults at the stage right before the flowers open in the spring.
