Gooseberry sawfly

[stevemac]

I've just found my gooseberry bush half striped of leaves by sawfly

I've had a search at some of the old threads but cant find the answer.
If the sawfly win and eventually strip the leaves bare(i picked off what i could see) then will the fruit be OK?Will they continue to swell and ripen?

Also would fellow grapes please let me know what they have tried to deter the sawfly?
I have read about garlic growing nearby as a deterent but my bush is right next to a load of garlic so this has'nt worked for me.
Fine mesh was mentioned but if the sawfly are from the soil then how will this deter it?

Will the "soapy" water mix used on aphids work?

Please let me know of any successes/failures.

Thanks for any help
Steve

[Paul Wagland]

In my experience you have to pick them off and squash them (or feed to the chickens). About an hour to clear each bush, then five or ten mins every day to keep it clear.

Quite satisfying in a strange way!

[Geo]

Interesting site..

Scroll down a bit...

>>>Here<<<


Geo..

[stevemac]

For a second there i thought it was your GOOGLE click link you had given me there GEO

.....And i agree paul there was an element of satisfaction as i picked them off and fed them to my fish

Still cannot find any info about wether the fruit will still ripen or not though.

[Geo]

If you lose the leaves the fruit will drop off

Here is an old thread on the subject >>> Here


Geo..

[sheena]

Ultmate bug killer (around £4 a bottle) but this gets rid of them fast.

[womble]

Will someone please give a definite answer to how sawfly work? Yet again at this time of year, I am trawling the net trying to find an organic way of dealing with them, that doesn't involve me standing over 4 very large bushes for an hour a day, getting very green hands with squashed caterpillars.

Some say that they lay eggs in the soil around the base of the bush, some that the eggs are laid on the leaves.

The ideas I have come up with so far, are thus.

Spray garlic over the leaves, no idea if it works.
Spread Rhubarb leaves around the base of the bush, read it online, no idea etc.
Bang bush with stick/shake bush, works OK, but you never get them all and it's really awkward on some bushes. Ok on the Jostaberries, but painful on the spiny gooseberries.
Spray with Derris, apart from various legal aspects soon, not something I want to do.
If they climb up the trunk of the bush, put some sort of barrier to stop them getting up, ideas wanted.

So, up to date ideas needed. Has anyone used a method not involving chemicals or squashing that works?

[starloc]

if there catapiller types eating the leaves then surely `dipel` will work on them? they make things that eat leaves treated with it just stop eating, its listed as organic safe even though its a manufactured pesticide, its a bacteria extratct

[womble]

There is some reasoning that dipel may cause some problems to honey bees, not something I want to use.

Just found a garlic and chilli spray by zarzen, might give that a go, although it was for cabbage white butterflies, it should work on sawfly larvae? Maybe

[stevemac]

Will someone please give a definite answer to how sawfly work? Yet again at this time of year, I am trawling the net trying to find an organic way of dealing with them, that doesn't involve me standing over 4 very large bushes for an hour a day, getting very green hands with squashed caterpillars.

Some say that they lay eggs in the soil around the base of the bush, some that the eggs are laid on the leaves.

The ideas I have come up with so far, are thus.

Spray garlic over the leaves, no idea if it works.
Spread Rhubarb leaves around the base of the bush, read it online, no idea etc.
Bang bush with stick/shake bush, works OK, but you never get them all and it's really awkward on some bushes. Ok on the Jostaberries, but painful on the spiny gooseberries.
Spray with Derris, apart from various legal aspects soon, not something I want to do.
If they climb up the trunk of the bush, put some sort of barrier to stop them getting up, ideas wanted.

So, up to date ideas needed. Has anyone used a method not involving chemicals or squashing that works?

I feel your pain

Thanks for the reply.I am surprised that a better solution than chemicals/squishing has'nt been found yet.

The list of things you tried is exactly what i was hoping for in this thread.
The only problem with the chilli/garlic spray is that I'm sure i read it kills friendly insects also ( Or is it the rhubarb spray ?i'm sure someone will correct me if im wrong ).

As for the shaking of the bush.......well the weather up here yesterday and today is VERY strong winds and they were clinging on no problems at all.

Ive wanted a gooseberry bush for years and this is the first one to bear fruit (other £land ones died) so i wont give up till ive beaten them caterpillars(or made them retreat at least!)

[womble]

I'm guessing that the banging/shaking of the bush is nothing to do with making them drop off by losing their grip, more to do with the fact that you try to make it seem like a bird has landed and they drop off for self defence.
I could be wrong mind you

[divvy]

It is right that they live in the soil . I have a bush that suffered every year from saw fly and was completely stripped . It never had any fruit . I dug it up at the end of last year shook all the soil off and replanted it in another part of the garden , so far no sign of sawfly . Bush has all it's leaves , but still no fruit . As I understand it , the sawfly live in the soil around the plant over winter then climb up and eat the plant in the spring . Makes me wonder if you could sticky band the bottom of it like I do the apple trees.