Can you get a picture? How big are the bugs? You might not want to use those ripe (overripe?) berries.

You might want to post a picture over on Fruit and Orchards forum too to ID and find out how to control them.

The bugs aren't floating to the surface when you put the berries into ice water?

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit and orchards forum

Black and orange on overly ripe fruit sounds like Picnic Beetles. Goggle them for pics to compare to yours and info on controls.

They are sap suckers that inject saliva into the fruit so you probably don't want to use those berries. Instead spray the plant now and harvest the later berries.

Dave

Insecticides won't keep more from moving in (and I wouldn't want to eat the berries), but picking (or picking off the ground) any overripe or damaged fruit and sealing it in a plastic bag to go in the trash, or buying it (not composting) will help control them since picnic or sap beetles only go after really ripe (or overripe) or damaged fruit.

But are these "bugs" tiny (flea-sized), larger, flying, beetles,what do antennae (if any) look like?? More info and/or pix would help.

You are right, they are the picnic beetles. And no they don't drown, they stick to the berries when put into the water. Looks like I will have to make sure I pick the berries earlier, as it doesn't seem there is much else I can do.

thanks everyone

Here is a link that might be useful: sap beetles

Insecticides won't keep more from moving in (and I wouldn't want to eat the berries),

Both those issues would all depend on the insecticide used and when it was applied.

Jenny - the plain old mix of 1 T liquid dish soap and 1-2T of vegetable oil added to a gallon of water, shake well, pour into a misting bottle, and spray the beetles. Works fine and poses no threat to the berries. Just don't spray in direct sun or the heat of the day and aim for the bugs rather than drenching the plants.

You can also hose them off the bushes with a jet spray from the hose but it knocks berries off too.

And next year there are any number of organic pesticides that can be sprayed on the bushes just after fruit set to protect them. They are all discussed in the various links about the beetles found on Google.

Dave

What would happen if you accidentally eat the berries before noticing they have the larva on / in them. My son ate about 15-20 before we noticed them on the plate

What would happen if you accidentally eat the berries before noticing they have the larva on / in them. My son ate about 15-20 before we noticed them on the plate.

Probably nothing as stomach acid would probably kill them. But that is a medical question so it is best answered by a physician, not here.

Dave

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