Q.My Raspberry Crop Is Being Destroyed
I have a serious infestation on my raspberry canes with these little mites. If I scrape them off I get a white powder. Can you tell me what they are and how I can get rid of them for next year
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
That would be scale, and they can be very difficult to get rid of. They seal themselves to plants, which makes treating them very difficult. They cause bad infections and disease once they get established. There are natural treatments like neem oil, or its active compound azadirachtin, or you can choose chemical means. Just make sure that it is labeled for scale, since many chemicals will fail to treat them. Before you treat, you will want to remove all that you can by hand. Then you can treat what you cannot reach. You will want to keep treating until all are gone, or they will come back just as bad.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/control-plant-scale.htm
