Relatively recent--they have been in Oregon fruits for at least 5 years now. Your worm is very likely the above-mentioned SWD. These flies (in the PNW) appear in numbers in early July, so earlier-ripening caneberries are not affected. They are not causing your withering and undersized berries. A salt water solution will cause them to emerge. So will putting them in the fridge or the freezer, then they can be picked, rinsed, or brushed off. Cooling also stops their feeding and growing. All of this is not 100% effective, if you require that. Spinosad spray is an organic control. Cutting the canes will not help. Putting out apple cider vinegar traps with a drop of unscented soap can reduce the numbers bothering the fruit. The nearby cucumbers are safe and I haven't seen any reports of tomato damage, but I wouldn't put it past them in the future. http://spottedwing.org/ has a lot of info from OSU ag.

Kimmsr, this is an insect that feeds in large communities in one localized area. The removal of one branch may result in getting rid of several hundred larvae in one fell swoop, without the use of any chemicals at all. The removal of one or two branches may result in the preservation of this season's foliage. Why on Earth do anything else? Please note that spraying with Bt should be a last resort practice, just as with any other pesticide. Resistance to Bt has shown up all over the world, largely due to agricultural use of Bt, but homeowners contribute to the problem, as well. There are millions of people in this country alone that foster butterfly and moth habitats, something worth thinking about. The indiscriminate use of Bt-kurstaki products isn't acceptable, especially if there are other measures available. Is Bt-k a valuable and useful product? Absolutely, when used with care. Right place, right reason, right product. In this particular situation, with these particular insects, Bt-k is not a good fit. Moccasinlanding, can I assume that you are talking about River Birch, since you live in the South? They are a pretty little tree, but 'can' be a real insect magnet. Even in a native setting, this is the case. Aphids love River Birch. Landscape planted R. Birch are probably more susceptible to problems as there might be excess fertilization, irrigation, compaction, or other factors that can contribute to a plant's susceptibility. You'll be lucky if you can keep the population at bay with strong sprays of water or insecticidal soap (you did say it was a young tree, right?). This winter, however, after the leaves have dropped, you can begin with some applications of dormant or other horticultural oil. Spray all along the branches and trunk, and try to get into the nooks and crannies where those eggs are hidden. I'd spray three or four times, up until the time of bud break. You'll go a long way in breaking the aphid cycle. Have you seen any scale insects on this plant? ;-) You might as well take a good look!

I use spinosad (bagworm and borer spray is what mine is) to take care of small caterpillars. It works great, but do watch out for bees! It has to dry before bees can get near the plant, so spray it after they are in for the evening. Spray the foliage that is being eaten by the caterpillars so that they eat more and die. Don't spray any flowers! There are surely other insecticides that work, but I do like spinosad the best when it's effective enough for a pest.

That’s interesting .. I already have some spinosad but didn’t realise, it is marketed here as a fruit fly control, see the blurb below. Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control has been included in this range because it’s based on spinosad, the naturally-derived insecticide found in Yates Success. Yates Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control works by tricking the insect into absorbing the spinosad that’s been combined with an irresistible bait. After she emerges from her pupal case in the soil, the female fly looks to feed on a source of protein before she lays her eggs. When she eats the protein and sugar bait in Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control, she also ingests a dose of the insecticide, which means she never makes it to the egg-laying stage. Fruit fly baits are nothing new but many have used a hormone that only attracts male flies (they’re the ones that don’t lay the eggs!) or have been based on a nasty chemical. Now Yates Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control has a low toxic formulation that really works. also found this because spinosad is highly effective against diamondback moth, but because it also controls several other important lepidopteran pests such as heliothis (Helicoverpa spp.), cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae), cabbage centre grub (Hellula hydralis) and cabbage cluster caterpillar (Crocidolomia pavonana) at rates which provide growers with excellent value for money. Spinosad is highly active against loopers (Chrysodeixis spp.) and affords some control of cluster caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) and onion thrips (Thrips tabaci). So so if my rose slugs ever start on my buds I’ll use this. Might even do it on the climbing nahema as I can only squish so high! And they do shred the leaves to pieces ...