Raspberry Beetle traps

[w33blegurl]

I have seen these traps advertised in a few places and wondered if anyone had tried them? We lost quite a few (although not a devastating loss) rasps to maggots last year so anything I can do to prevent it this year would be good. I am not keen on spraying and am trying to be organic where I can, so this seems like good option! They are quite pricey though, so wanted a "review" before I dipped into my hard earned cash!

thanks!

[PomonaFruits]

These traps are available and have been developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute and East Malling Research. They are already used on commercial plantations to monitor beetle activity but this is the first season they have been made available to amateur gardeners (that's why nobody has been able to give you a review yet).

The beetles fall into the trap (attracted by the lure) thus reducing the population. To maximise the chances of trapping the beetles, it is best to install them before they start emerging from the soil (they normally start emerging April to early June). This is not to say it is too late to install them now, particularly as it is a late season but the sooner they are installed now, the more beetles you will trap thus reducing the potential damage to your crop. At the very latest they should be in place before the plants start to flower (this obviously depends on where you are in the country and what varieties you are growing).

[flighty1]

hi there, you say the raspberry beetles are attracted by the lure. can you please advise
1 what is the lure made of as I don't like using chemicals
2 how long will the lure last
3 are replacement lures available (I am assuming they do run out)

I only ask because for the number of raspberries on most plots I think these are somewhat expensive just to protect a couple of dozen canes

I also concerned that these traps were apparently not designed to eradicate/control the beetle problem but rather to enable growers to ascertain beetle numbers & thus work out an insecticide spraying programme. The link below from the manufacturers site will explain it better than I can. However it does seem that these traps are not designed to eradicate the beetles & I with respect would question the suitability of these traps to deal with the problem without having to resort to insecticides, which in my humble opinion rather defeats the object.

http://www.agrisense.co.uk/resources...R%20launch.pdf

[mike abel]

Hi flighty1,
The lure is a "floral attractant" i.e. it smells of raspberry flowers, so there is no chemical pesticide involved, nothing is applied to the actual crop. It is therefore totally safe. Because it is a floral attractant, both male and female raspberry beetles are attracted to it (with sex pheromone traps only males are caught). The beetles are trapped and permanantly removed from the crop, thus reducing egg laying (and maggots in the fruit!). No treatment, including sprays, will give 100% control. Commercially "mass trapping" has been found to reduce damage below the economic threshold unless beetle numbers are high and then a pesticide may still be required. The trap is new and experience in the back garden is still being gained.

The lure lasts 4-6 weeks depending on weather conditions (shorter if hot).

Replacement lures are available, the trap is re-used from year to year, only the lure needs replacing (so not so expensive once the trap has been bought initially).