[8doubles]

It seems we have gained another pest in the garden this year which is attacking the autumn raspberries . A small green caterpillar up to 10mm long which sticks a leaf to the fruit with silk and then eats the outside of the fruit down to seed level.

Only found a couple of dozen so far which have been dealt with by the hens !

Any idea what the beastie is ?

[mumofstig]

Raspberry sawfly?

[8doubles]

Raspberry sawfly?

I do not think sawfly are the problem, no leaf damage at all . The leaf is just pulled in close to a berry and the caterpillar makes a silk tent inside venturing out to feed on the fruit.

I have googled raspberry pests and nothing seems to match.

[JayG]

After reading this thread I had a closer look at my Autumn Bliss - there was a rolled up leaf so I peered inside, where I found a small yellowish spider (but with long legs) and a rather supernatural-looking powder blue "egg" which was much larger than the spider's body.

I can only assume it was a cluster of eggs (it couldn't possibly have laid it all in one go  )...........so I covered it back up and promised not to disturb it again! 

Found a couple of other rolled up leaves on other canes, but whatever caused them had already departed. 

[wendyg]

The spider sounds like it is a comb-footed spider, they vary in colour, I found white ones with red stripes in my honeysuckle.  The blue 'egg' is the spiders egg-sac, apparently they lay the egg-sac in a rolled leaf.

Wendy

[JayG]

Thanks Wendy - good chance you're right, although I daresay there's hundreds more possibilities I've never heard of (not difficult as far as I'm concerned!) 

Hope the eggs hatch out safely - at the moment I'd be quite pleased if their favourite foods are mozzies and gnats! 

[JohnB47]

It seems we have gained another pest in the garden this year which is attacking the autumn raspberries . A small green caterpillar up to 10mm long which sticks a leaf to the fruit with silk and then eats the outside of the fruit down to seed level.

Only found a couple of dozen so far which have been dealt with by the hens !

Any idea what the beastie is ?

I don't know what they're called but I had some of those last year on my Tulameen. I decided just to squash the leaves together and get rid that way. Haven't noticed any this year yet.