The Rose Stem Girdler (RSG)(Agrilus cuprescens, a buprestid beetle) is yet another pest of
caneberries (raspberry, black-cap, blackberries) to deal with.

I learned about this insect while attending the Caneberry Field Day
on 11 July 2018 at NWREC located near Charbonneau. 2017 was the first
year for increased reports of this pest in the Willamette Valley.
By August of this year I began noticing damage in my own SE Portland
berry patch.

Unlike the raspberry cane borer (in a different family of beetles) that causes
immediate wilting of young primocanes, the RSG damage is a slow
reaction that occurs during the summer when canes may be several or
many feet long. The first sign is a limp cane tip, perhaps the last few inches or foot
of cane. Leaves past the larva feeding point will slowly wilt. Watering may
temporarily revive the leaves. After several weeks the affected cane portions will die.
Bulges and discoloration appear on the cane at the feeding points. There may
be damage from near the ground to several feet along the canes. The larva is so
small that it had no adverse effect on my vigorous Triple Crown blackberry plants
even though the cane bulges were present. More delicate canes suffer such as Columbia Star,
Black Diamond, red raspberries, and thornless Logan.

Since I only have a few dozen canes, next spring I intend to keep an eye out
for adult feeding (ragged leaf edges--I did notice this) and manually wipe down the canes every
2 or 3 days (eggs take at least 4 days to hatch). The adult needs to feed before laying eggs.

Visit this webpage for life-cycle, images of damage, and control methods:
https://utahpests.usu.edu/uppd.....178-15.pdf