Hello,

While pruning my thornless blackberry plant, I noticed these galls on its canes.

FYI, my plant is two years old. I live in southern Quebec. 2/3 of the plant was covered with snow almost the entire winter.

This gall is located at the bottom of the cane:
http://www.cheapvoipequipment....

This one is located in the middle on a different cane:
http://www.cheapvoipequipment....

I only have two strong big canes and a skinny one. Can someone explain exactly what they are, and if I should do something about them?

Extra info:

Last summer, cane borers attacked my raspberry plants. I was able to cut off the tilted tips and save the canes. The source of the problem was a small sick tree nearby that was infested with aphids and other insects. I saw borers too. After I removed the tree, no more tilted tips.

They might have laid eggs on my blackberry canes, but I did not see any tilted tips. I check my plants almost everyday during summer.

Hi Ghadames. It looks like it could be borers. I am not an expert on them so I will be interested to see what others have to say.

Welcome to ATP Ghadames.

Thanks, Gleni! Can anyone confirm that they are borers. And tell me exactly what needs to be done?

Can you say where you are located? Certain sprays and treatments are banned in some states.

Just outside of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.

Assuming that these are indeed cane borers, which most likely they are. What should I do at this point to save the plant? Can't I just remove the galls and everything above them? Is it only one insect that it is inside each cane, or is there a population of them inside the plant? I've read articles on cane borers, but it's not clear. Why would I need an insecticide?

I'm not sure it's as simple as pruning them out.

This may not be the borer you have but here is a good article about infestations and how they are treated. I would see if I could find someone locally who has experience with this in your area, perhaps a part of the Agriculture Dept. or such.

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomol...