BugVibes is strapped to the trellis, shaking off beetles as they arrive.
End result from using Bugvibes organic growing method—beautiful raspberries.
Growing beautiful organic raspberries with no chemicals can be challenging. Virtually anywhere in the eastern 2/3 of the USA where raspberries are grown is plagued by Japanese beetles. I know it sounds crazy: but we’ve actually had some success with using BugVibes to create a “shakeable trellis.” The raspberry patch stays neat and clean (since we’re not using nets or messy chemicals) and I get a beautiful harvest without the beetles.
The trellis is mounted horizontally across the tops of the canes, and is easy to set up. This “vibrating trellis” will drastically reduce the amount of Japanese beetles and other pests without the use of pesticides! The project should begin before the raspberries have grown too much but can be built pretty much any time.
The supplies you’ll need: a trellis, BugVibes, and UV-resistant cable ties.
Trellis tied to raspberry canes
Here are the steps you’ll need to take:
- You’ll need black, UV-resistant cable ties, I found a packages of black 11-inch ties, in the electrical area of my local Home Depot.
- Get a lightweight trellis or a series of ¼-inch wood stakes. The trellis linked to was 24×72 inches. Cut the trellis to the desired size or if using stakes, strap together as shown using the wire ties. This trellis was cut to about 36 inches.
- Trim out old raspberry canes.
- Cut the remaining canes to equal heights.
- Using your cable ties, tie the trellis to the canes tightly. Be careful not to break the canes. Note that the canes of most raspberries will support the weight. If the canes cannot support the weight of the trellis, use a mounting stake for the trellis.
- As new canes come up, tie those tightly too.
- Once leaves start to fill in, attach one or two BugVibes, (two for a larger trellis).
- Periodically (about once a week) shake raspberries, as BugVibes vibrates most (but not all) leaves.
During the season, you will have a beautiful, clean patch of raspberries with minimal pests.
On craig’s recipe for compost, a bottle of cheap beer poured into the compost pile once in awhile will help it “cook”, as well.
I have little black beetles and lots of little white worms. What will work for them?
Hi Judy,
Those sounds like they might be some type of cane borers – they can be particularly pesky on raspberries. You might try a solution containing Permethrin – our Pyola Insect Spray is one such product.
http://www.gardensalive.com/product/pyola-insect-spray-4?p=140643