I am asking this question for someone on our plot, they have a small black bug on the raspberries. It's at the top of the fruit as it's taken of the stalk. Any ideas anyone or do you need more info.
raspberry beetle is usually brown not black could be a flea beetle that like raspberry's but the description of a black beetle is a bit vague ;)
It sounds like the raspberry beetle that lays its eggs in the unripe fruit which then form into hard bits on the fruit, before hatching out into larvae. Commercially, they spray against it, but most amateurs do not bother.
"Gardening Which" claimed that Autumn rasps were not affected by raspberry beetle, but this is not true in my experience.
I've grown Autumn Bliss for nearly twenty years with very little damage from the beetle... (Just lucky I guess!) :)
We have a lot of brambles, which also act as a host for raspberry beetle, growing around our allotments. This may be the reason why my autumn Bliss always get damaged.
There are brambles across the alley from them... ???