Hello,
Just this week I noticed that the wild blackberries which grow in our yard have bright orange rust on the leaves. We do not grow any other type of berries in our yard; this is only on the wild ones. I am reading that I need to dig up each and every plant and destroy them. (Big, big job!)
While I am busy digging, is there anything (bee-safe) I can/should/might spray to slow down the ripening process of this disease before it spews out to infect more plants?

Thanks; I would be grateful for any advice you can offer...unless you'd rather bring a shovel to help!

Seeing as how the plants are systemically infected and you can't get rid of it, I would just strip the leaves off and place them in a sealed plastic bag for disposal. No need to worry about reinfection via the wounds you produce because they are already infected. Or perhaps simpler yet, just cut them down and burn or dispose of the branches.

P.S. Nice pics of developing rust pustules!

Gosh, no one has ever complimented my pustules before; I am flattered!

Guess I know what I will be busy doing this weekend. Thanks.

Thanks to @Leftwood, I added the word 'systemic' to my keyword search and found this:

http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcor...