[ellied]

The last couple of years my one gooseberry bush has been attacked by caterpillars and all the leaves are gone before it gets a chance to fruit - the most I've had is a handful of berries which is really annoying..

I have bought a second bush this year and moved both to the orchard area to see if it likes it there better, the caterpillars are green and literally overwhelm the entire bush so not just an odd one I could pick off  

I don't like to harm butterflies in the making but I don't really want to feed them at cost to my own harvest - are they cabbage whites and if so why on gooseberries?  Or some other berry related feeder?  Blackcurrants and rasps nearby seem unaffected and blueberries were bumper cropping less than 100 yards away last year

Any ideas?  Would anything make them less prone to being laid on?

[OhLaLa]

You have Gooseberry Saw Fly. It`s not the fly but the larvae that do the damage. I usually spray my plants but they got all of my new young plants last year.

Here is more info:

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=517

[Rosemary]

Dan sprays with derris. You'll have to spray several times as there will be more than one hatch. The wee b*ggers were the bane of Dan's life - they can strip a bush overnight.

[Fleecewife]

They are a horrible nuisance and will in fact also attack redcurrants and some of the hybrids.  The only year we didn't have much of a problem and had a huge crop was when a giant wasp nest appeared in one bush.  The wasps predated all the saw fly larvae - but I couldn't get anywhere near the bushes to crop the fruit  .  The following year there were just a few sawfly but by the year after that they were all back.
I squash them daily and usually get a crop of some sort.  They start low down in the middle of the plant and work their way upwards and outwards, so that's where to start searching for them before you see any damage.  I also let my hens scratch around under the gooseberries all year so they can find the crysalises in the soil, and larvae.
They don't hatch out into butterflies, just flies.

[ellied]

OK, thanks for that - I remember them as pale green but not spotted tho I can't rely on my memory these days   I'll look up sprays and not worry about the butterfly population too much anyway so that's a relief

[northfifeduckling]

I think I read somewhere on here that Derris is no longer legal. I won't touch the stuff so you are more than welcome to mine kicking around in the shed, Ellie. egglady recommended to spread peanuts and grain around the bushes to attract wild birds. They then will hopefully see the larva and have them for dinner. As ours were badly affected (currants, too, but did not suffer that much) I will definitely give it a go.

[Beewyched]

2 of our bushes were stripped within days last year - can't believe how fast it happened  thing is though, our free-range chucks didn't seem to notice them - or if they did, they didn't fancy them 

[Fleecewife]

Hens prefer the sawfly larvae chrysalises which lie in the ground over winter.  Hens also hate the big green cabbage white caterpillars on brassicas, but love the soft green single ones.  I think the cabbage whites must taste bitter or even produce a mild toxin - maybe the sawfly larvae are similar.

[Beewyched]

Have given up trying to catch the cabbage white caterpillars  will be netting them this year, will keep the chucks off them too!  Mind, nothing seemed interested in the red cabbage I grew, bomb-proof - still have about a dozen jars of pickled left even after giving loads to family. 

Think I will try sprinkling some bird seed around the gooseberry bushes - if the birds don't get them, I sure the chucks will 

[northfifeduckling]

make sure the net is secure everyehere. ours got blown about and some caterpillars landed in paradise  - I noticed too late 

[Fleecewife]

I have found that no matter how careful you are, a little bird will always get into the cage and not be able to get back out again.  So you have to undo one end and chase it out, then spend ages putting the cage back together again.  How do they do that    Best to take it off before the snow too as the snow doesn't fall down through the mesh but sits on top, builds up to a deep layer and crushes all the brassicas to slush.  I was looking at all my dead stalks today, but enough survived that we had lovely fresh kale tonight and there is a few meals-worth of psb plus still loads of sprouts and cabbages, so not all gloom.

[Beewyched]

Yep - the birds still managed to get at most of our blueberries last year - despite netting them - new design this year methinks  & I didn't think about the snow - untangling netting frozen in a foot of snow from the bushes was SNOW JOKE - lol 

Just given the last of the sprout stalks to the pigs to play with, only leeks left in the veg beds from last year now - must be more organised this year    Have got the garlic in & 4 broad beans that survived the meeces.

Masses of seed trays & tiny seedlings in the conservatory & the "grow-house" is full to bursting.  Can't wait to get everything planted out.  Looking forward to getting a polytunnel ready for next year - maybe my birthday prezzie - hint, hint 

Why does it ALWAYS turn wet & windy when the blossoms are starting to emerge 

[northfifeduckling]

same here, we had hail yesterday, just in time to ruin the pear blossoms 

[ellied]

They're back    Just spotted a few tiny ones in lower leaves on both bushes and squished them, surrounded and then flooded the roots several times in case you can waterlog the chrysalis/emerging babies but I hardly dare go and look as the flowers are just starting to come and I thought I'd be in for a crop this year 

I don't have chooks and the new one is still in a pot - is there anything I can do other than go borrow illegal pesticides from NFD's shed?   I have 4 cats and don't like to poison things in case they get it on paws..

[Fleecewife]

Hi Ellied.  I wonder if soft soap spray would work?  I don't know anything about chemicals so can't recommend any.  Meanwhile, keep squishing every single day - with just the one bush and a baby one it won't take you long.....   I think they do two hatchings a year - I usually cope with the first one ok then they sneak back when I least expect it