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Raspberry Beetle Monitoring Kit

AgriSense BCS Ltd © - Product Picture - Raspberry Beetle Monitoring Kit
  • Helps reduce risk of insecticide residues
  • Early warning helps reduce crop damage
  • Improve timing and efficiency of spray treatments
  • Eliminate unnecessary spray applications
  • Use as part of IPM strategy

Economic Importance
Raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) is a serious pest of field and tunnel grown raspberries throughout northern and central Europe, with
loganberries and blackberries also vulnerable to attack. The pest lays eggs on the flowers of crops which hatch into pale brown larvae. These feed on the developing fruit, burrowing deeply into the berries to feed on the plug. Larvae have a hidden lifestyle and are often not detected until fruit is harvested when rejections can occur because of contamination. Fruit may also be down-graded due to discolouration and the appearance of shrivelled or hardened segments, which occur as a result of larval feeding. Even low levels of damage are not tolerated by retailers, resulting in significant marketing losses when control
measures have been applied too late or not at all.

Integrated Pest Management
There is a general consensus across Europe to reduce pesticide usage and find solutions that are environmentally benign and can be adopted as part of an Integrated Pest Management approach. The Raspberry Beetle Monitoring Kit has been developed as part of UK government funded HortLink project to help growers achieve this aim.

By monitoring the activity of Raspberry Beetles around and within the crop, growers can improve timing of insecticide treatments and eliminate unnecessary, prophylactic applications. Once raspberry beetles are within the funnel bucket, they are contained and unable to cause damage to the crop.

The Monitoring Kit
The Agrisense Green Funnel Trap with white cross vane attachments is recommended for monitoring this pest.  The funnel trap, as the name implies, is designed so that insects, attracted by the incorporated attractant lure and colour of the cross vanes (simulating a giant raspberry flower), fly into the cross vanes and fall into the funnel shaped catchment area down into the holding bucket below.  The bucket should be filled to about 5cm depth with soapy water to prevent insects from escaping.  Ensure the water is topped up regularly.

Contents of Kit
1. Funnel trap bucket
2. Funnel trap lid cap
3 Funnel trap lid
4. Funnel section
5. Mesh bee excluder
6. Cross vanes x 4
7. Biolure® attractant

 
Assembly and PLacement of lures
If bees are likely to be caught accidentally, place the mesh bee excluder between the lugs of the funnel section so that it sits over the funnel entrance.  Securely clip each of the cross vane members into the lugs on the funnel successively such that the flat surfaces of the four members meet in the middle forming a cross.  The lid is then fitted and the funnel section locked onto the bucket.  Ensure red cap lid is in place.

Peel off the removable protective film from the Biolure® attractant and using the self-adhesive tape on the back of the lure stick this to the under surface of the funnel trap lid, above the cross vanes.  The lure should last about 4-6 weeks (depending on temperature and wind) and should last the length of a normal raspberry season. Where extended cropping management is used or the season is longer than 6 weeks, the lure should be replaced.

Trap Placement & Density for Monitoring:
Traps should be placed approximately 1m - 1.6m above ground. No higher. Use a pole planted securely in the ground if no other suitable support is available.  Attach the traps to the pole using a suitably robust wire but so trap bucket can still be removed.  Ensure that all surrounding foliage is removed for at least 0.5m to ensure that the traps remain visible and not obscured.  The trap density should be a minimum of 50 traps/ha.  About 20 additional traps should be placed around the perimeter of the plantation (or each 1 ha block).  The traps within the crop should be placed in a lattice (grid) pattern throughout the plantation.  If wild Rubus (raspberry and blackberry) and other wild hosts (e.g. hawthorn) grow within 100-200m of the plantation, additional traps may be required to monitor beetle activity close to them.

Observations & Data Recording:
Catches should be recorded weekly on a trap record sheet.  Open the trap by unlocking the bucket section from the funnel (it has a bayonet fit so twist and pull apart).  It is recommended that at each reading the trapped insects and any other debris be removed and the soapy water replaced to a depth of about 5cm.

Selectivity:
Traps may also catch some flies and other Diptera, small beetles (pollen beetles) and occasionally bees.  The mesh is intended to minimise the catch of bees and can be inserted if the grower is concerned that bees will be trapped inadvertently.  To avoid affecting the efficiency of the trapping system it is strongly recommended that traps be used for only the intended pest species, Byturus tomentosus (raspberry beetle). Never use the lures for other species in this trap.

Thresholds:
Catch thresholds are still in the development stage for both open field and protected cropping and as a consequence accurate figures are not yet available.  As a general guideline, a trap catch of 5 to 10 beetles per trap per week in the period from beetle emergence until onset of first flowering should be used as a threshold until further data is available.  The traps will indicate beetle activity around and within the crop and if more than 5-10 beetles are found in the sampling period, then consider applying an appropriate approved insecticide or other approved control measure.

Storage & Handling Recommendations:
The attractant dispensers from AgriSense are supplied in labelled and vapour proof sachets.  The dispensers are provided either separately or as components of monitoring systems inside system boxes together with the appropriate trap.  The dispensers and systems should be kept under good storage conditions at below 15°C.  Kept under these conditions the dispensers and systems will retain their activity and attraction for a minimum of 12 months.  Bulk storage of dispensers for periods of up to 18 months is possible by refrigeration at temperatures of 4°C or below.  We do not recommend storing dispensers for more than this time even in a refrigerator as they may lose attractive power.  AgriSense attractant dispensers have a known and declared period of activity after opening of the sachet (generally 4-6 weeks, depending on temperature and wind).  After this time the expired attractant dispenser should be renewed.  The old dispenser should be completely removed from the area of use to prevent interference with the fresh replacement/ recharge dispenser.