How to prevent raspberry midge from infecting your raspberry bush: these simple methods will protect your plants and your harvest
Galls in the form of rounded thickenings, growths, which can often be seen on young shoots of raspberries, are nothing more than a clear sign that the plant has been attacked by a stem or raspberry gall midge.
An expert of the online publication Belnovosti, agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh told what experienced gardeners do to protect raspberry bushes from being damaged by this pest.
The most important rule to follow if you don’t want to lose your plantings, and therefore your harvest, is to regularly inspect your raspberry patch.
If shoots with galls are noticed, they should be cut off immediately.
In addition, it is important to prevent the raspberry bush from becoming too thick and to regularly carry out sanitary pruning.
During this procedure, it is worth getting rid of two-year-old fruiting shoots, as well as thin and weak shoots.
Finally, it wouldn’t hurt to plant onions, garlic, wormwood, marigolds or herbs next to the raspberries – their smell can repel the parasite.
Why can't we rely entirely on the action of insecticides? The thing is that preparations against leaf-eating insects can only affect adult insects, while the larvae hide safely under the bark.
