Waiting to see what shows up as blackberries break dormancy......but am having doubts. They look good going into winter, then the galls show up.......canes change from a deep red/purple to light brown.......meaning dead.

So anybody have a good method to eliminate the red necked cane borer? Internet solution is to find affected canes and cut them out and burn them. Tried that one year, but that meant cutting the entire crop out......no fruit that year. When you start with 20 canes and are down to 1 or 2, what is the point?

Also seems to only affect the thornless types. We have some thorny types and they never fail to produce very small berries that will cause significant loss of blood if you try to pick them.

As an organic guy I would get some pheromone traps placed before they start to fly and when you start catching them do a couple of neem oil coverage sprays. Your county extension likely has bulletins on them that you can ask for as well complete with control measures.

Red necked cane borers and other borers are hard to kill because their eggs have a protective coating and the larvae are protected by the plants they are eating the insides of. As adults, most insecticides will easily kill them, but there's only a little over a month period when they are adults. Imidicloprid is absorbed by plants and will kill the larvae that are eating them. You can just pour it around the plants, for the roots to take up, following the recommendations on the bottle. I have used it successfully that way on some of my trees in my orchard.

Imidicloprid is the active ingredient in many flea and tick killing medications for dogs, that you apply to the back of their necks. I have used a knock off of Bayer Tree and Shrub, that I bought at TSC to completely wipe out the fleas on my dogs. The same amount of imidicloprid, plus inert ingredients, that I bought for $4.97, would of cost over $17,000.00 in little applicator packs from a veterinarian.

Keith

I have used Acetamiprid on some plants to protect them from Japanese beetles, and thought I had treated the blackberries too, but maybe it would help to hit them later in the season? If Imidicloprid is a more potent form and lasts longer, then it would make sense that it would work. The more potent forms are taken up by the roots and last longer than the one I use. But if applied last summer, would be gone by Spring and no risk to the bees when the berries flower. Not sure it is even a risk to the bees anyway unless it shows up in the nectar.

I'm not entirely sure when the adult cane borers are even active.

Thanks to Keith C, found this....active ingredient is Imidicloprid........the pour on the ground stuff. It actually lists and is labeled for control of red neck cane borer for blackberries. The stuff I have been using can be used on blackberries, but does not mention control of cane borers. The stuff I have been using is a folliar spray and may not migrate farther than the leaf........may not go into the cane.......whereas the pour on the ground stuff is taken up by the root and is systemic to entire plant. Going to give this a go and see what happens.

https://bioadvanced.com/fruit-citrus-and-vegetable-insect-control.html

There's generic or cheaper versions of almost every chemical based substance people commonly buy. They are almost entirely much cheaper. They are just as effective. Almost all containers have the chemicals listed and concentration per unit. Most of the chemicals are made by only one, to very few manufactures, in the US, so you are usually just paying more for name brand packaging and worse still dilution to quickly usable levels.

It's very easy to find the concentrations needed for various purposes online. Look at agricultural extension services. Many chemicals can be diluted with water and it's easy to find the appropriate diluent to safely use.

Keith

I get that, but what matters most is of the two closely related insecticides, the one you mentioned apparently protects the cane from cane borer and the one I've been using does not. Regardless of where it comes from, I'm in the hunt for the good stuff.

Watching.

Moosetrot

Imidicloprid is good stuff for insect control for insects that bore or drink sap.

Keith

As a beekeeper I try to avoid anything systemic. Makes all parts of the plant potentially toxic, not just nectar and pollen but including the fruit we eat. Yes, I know the dosage is the controlling factor but I'd rather not take in more than I absolutely have to.