The little green beasties - with black heads - have devoured one
seedling and have now started on my main bush - which has loads of
fruit just not quite ready for the picking...

What can I treat the bush with to get rid of the caterpillars but not
harm the fruit?

TIA

Steve

"Steve Bilton" wrote in message
...
The little green beasties - with black heads - have devoured one
seedling and have now started on my main bush - which has loads of
fruit just not quite ready for the picking...

What can I treat the bush with to get rid of the caterpillars but not
harm the fruit?

TIA

Steve

I would find them and squash them on the leaf

The message
from "Robert \(Plymouth\)" contains
these words:
"Steve Bilton" wrote in message
...

The little green beasties - with black heads - have devoured one
seedling and have now started on my main bush - which has loads of
fruit just not quite ready for the picking...

What can I treat the bush with to get rid of the caterpillars but not
harm the fruit?

TIA

Steve

I would find them and squash them on the leaf

Boil a few rhubarb leaves in water and spray them with that (when it's
cooled, or you'll cook the goosegogs...)

Do it secretly, as the EC inn spectres will pounce.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

Robert (Plymouth) wrote:


"Steve Bilton" wrote in message
...
The little green beasties - with black heads - have devoured one
seedling and have now started on my main bush - which has loads of
fruit just not quite ready for the picking...

What can I treat the bush with to get rid of the caterpillars but not
harm the fruit?

TIA

Steve

I would find them and squash them on the leaf

If too many to squash Liquid Derris seems to work. Wash gooseberies
before eating.

Paul


--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

"Paul Luton" wrote in message
. uk...
Robert (Plymouth) wrote:


"Steve Bilton" wrote in message
...
The little green beasties - with black heads - have devoured one
seedling and have now started on my main bush - which has loads of
fruit just not quite ready for the picking...

What can I treat the bush with to get rid of the caterpillars but not
harm the fruit?

TIA

Steve

I would find them and squash them on the leaf

If too many to squash Liquid Derris seems to work. Wash gooseberies before
eating.

Paul
Derris kills anything that moves so you would have to be desperate to use
that

"Robert (Plymouth)" wrote in message
...


I would find them and squash them on the leaf

If too many to squash Liquid Derris seems to work. Wash gooseberies
before eating.

Paul
Derris kills anything that moves so you would have to be desperate to use
that

When you have a bad infestation of gooseberry sawfly you ARE desperate.
EVERY leaf has to be turned and inspected and if the larvae are small
they're not always easy to see.

And nothing eats the things. Our fish would ignore them, our hens look and
walk away and wild birds aren't interested.

What's more, squashing the caterpillars doesn't control the next generation
which is at the egg stage. Derris will see to eggs and adults.

I hate using any pesticide but desperate conditions demand desperate
solutions. The sawfly will also attack other plants, Solomon's Seal and some
ribes.

Mary

Mary Fisher writes

I hate using any pesticide but desperate conditions demand desperate
solutions. The sawfly will also attack other plants, Solomon's Seal and some
ribes.

Is the Solomon's Seal sawfly the same as the gooseberry sawfly? I
thought they were different species?
--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher writes

I hate using any pesticide but desperate conditions demand desperate
solutions. The sawfly will also attack other plants, Solomon's Seal and
some
ribes.

Is the Solomon's Seal sawfly the same as the gooseberry sawfly? I thought
they were different species?

So did I, all I can say is that they look exactly alike and it was only when
we first saw it on the SS that we also had it on gooseberry. That was many
years ago and they always co-incide even now.

Of course it could be pure co-incidence - the same conditions being right
for both :-)

But I'm not taking any chances.

Mary

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

I hate using any pesticide but desperate conditions demand desperate
solutions. The sawfly will also attack other plants, Solomon's Seal
and some
ribes.

Not to mention nasturtiums.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"K" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher writes

I hate using any pesticide but desperate conditions demand desperate
solutions. The sawfly will also attack other plants, Solomon's Seal and
some
ribes.

Is the Solomon's Seal sawfly the same as the gooseberry sawfly? I thought
they were different species?

So did I, all I can say is that they look exactly alike and it was only
when we first saw it on the SS that we also had it on gooseberry. That was
many years ago and they always co-incide even now.

Of course it could be pure co-incidence - the same conditions being right
for both :-)

But I'm not taking any chances.

Mary

I got rid of mine by continually rubbing them out, you need to be
persistent. I am touching wood here too lol! My own idea of gardening is
that I don't need to worry about what might be on the food in the way of
pesticides etc., as I don't use any.

"Robert (Plymouth)" wrote in message
...



I got rid of mine by continually rubbing them out, you need to be
persistent. I am touching wood here too lol! My own idea of gardening is
that I don't need to worry about what might be on the food in the way of
pesticides etc., as I don't use any.

You can get rid of them in any way you like but it won't be permanent, the
next time a gravid female adult finds it - probably the following year -
you'll have 'em again :-(

I don't use any pesticides or hebicides in our garden, Spouse, however,
does. Our lifestyle means that we're not always here or, if we are, have the
time to rub all the larvae out. compromises aren't ideal but are sometimes
necessary.

As for the food, well we're still here! A healthier couple opf our age it
would be hard to find :-)

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Robert (Plymouth)" wrote in message
...


As for the food, well we're still here! A healthier couple opf our age it
would be hard to find :-)

Mary

That's good to hear

On 1 Jul, 15:20, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
Our lifestyle means that we're not always here or, if we are, have the
time to rub all the larvae out. compromises aren't ideal but are sometimes
necessary.

Mary et al,

Our lifestyle is similar - although having 4 young children time in
the garden is rare, so drastic measures are needed - and the kids
won't eat the goosegogs straight off the bush.

Thanks for the help - one and all - we'll see how the derris does.

Regards

Steve

"Steve Bilton" wrote in message
...
On 1 Jul, 15:20, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
Our lifestyle means that we're not always here or, if we are, have the
time to rub all the larvae out. compromises aren't ideal but are
sometimes
necessary.

Mary et al,

Our lifestyle is similar - although having 4 young children time in
the garden is rare, so drastic measures are needed - and the kids
won't eat the goosegogs straight off the bush.

Thanks for the help - one and all - we'll see how the derris does.

Regards

Steve

Goosegogs?

Don't often hear that - where are you?

Mary

"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

I hate using any pesticide but desperate conditions demand desperate
solutions. The sawfly will also attack other plants, Solomon's Seal
and some
ribes.

Not to mention nasturtiums.

Is THAT what they are!

I remember them from my childhood, hadn't made the connection beause I
didn't know anything else then.

Mary