The secret life of redberry mite in blackberries

edberry mites can devastate blackberry crops, ftcausing irreversible damage to fruit and up to 60 percent crop loss. The microscopic mites colonise the tiny spaces in the developing fruit and cause uneven ripening. Individual drupelets ( often nearest the stem end of the fruit) remain hard, red and fail to ripen. The rest of the berry turns black, but the fruit is unsaleable and a potential disease risk if left unpicked.