Caterpillars on my currant bush

[d000hg]

I have few bushes and noticed one looked a bit nibbled, but put it down to snails, of which we have lots. I noted it was looking a bit odd today, not the normal pattern you get from snails, and on closer inspection found there are at least a dozen caterpillars chomping their way through it - about an inch long. I like butterflies - if that's what these are - but fear they may eat the whole plant before growing wings

I don't have anything to hand and the shop is not convenient for a quick trip - anyone know if regular fly-spray would work? There is a little fruit but still very green so I reckon they won't be poisoned if I use it lightly?

[veggiechicken]

Can you pick the caterpillars and their leaves off the bush?

[d000hg]

Caterpillars don't have leaves, silly

Probably... I guess you're thinking there might be more eggs but based on the fact the top of the plant is eaten they seem to be moving downwards. Luckily it's a big bush so it won't be too hurt by losing even quite a large amount of leaves - they sure can eat!

[veggiechicken]

I hadn't even thought of more eggs - just of removing the immediate threat. Even if flyspray worked, you would only affect the live catties - personably - I'd just pick them off as you don't know what else you may kill with fly spray (even flies!)

[lyndapet]

it sounds like saw fly caterpillars. I. would pick them off as they can strip a bush in amatter of days. The saw fly hibernates in the soil below the bush ,. If you shake the bush the caterpillars drop on to the soil so another way is to spread paper below the bush and shake it and then gather up all the fallers.

[FB.]

it sounds like saw fly caterpillars.

Agreed. Gooseberry sawfly attack my currants as much as they do my gooseberries.
But the currants are so vigorous that they simply don't care; they grow leaves faster than the caterpillars can eat them.
I suspect that wandering birds (including tits, finches and robins) also eat quite a few of the caterpillars and blackbirds probably unearth a lot of those that hibernate/pupate in the soil.

I would only intervene if the plant lost about half its leaves - and even then I would not spray; I'd just pull off the caterpillars and give 'em the boot (especially bearing in mind the dead baby birds poisoned after eating sprayed bugs which another poster mentioned on my 'Don't kill the aphids' topic).

[Nicos]

Also, I wouldn't use fly spray either.
It's not been given the OK to be used in contact with edible plants and could be a health hazard to you