Question
I have just moved into this new house and I have all these raspberry bushes. They have produced a crop of fruit and I went out and picked lots of berries. The berries themselves look very nice but they are a little small. When I brought them in the house I noticed a couple different kind of pests on them. A black little beetle looking bug and a little tiny bug that resembled the hair on the raspberry. I washed them off, cleaned them and ate them. Now I am all panicked that I will get sick. They tasted good but I have myself all freaked out not knowing if all the bugs got off. Will they hurt me? I want to make raspberry jam with all the berries I have. Is that safe?
Answer(s)
I don't know what insects were on your raspberries from your description, but I am confident that they will not make you sick. There are a couple of beetles that are attracted to raspberry fruit. These small beetles do not pose health risks. Especially if you are going to make jams, the heat and boiling will take care of most problems and be safe. Here is a link to a University of Minnesota Fact Sheet on Raspberry pests. Most pests are actually inside the cane of the raspberry and not on the fruit. They do list a sap beetle and fruit worm that sometimes are found on the fruit.http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/e216raspberry.html
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