Gooseberry Problem

[Ken the Chef]

What is happening here. all the leaves seem to have vanishes.
the bush is about six years old and this has never happened before
Sorry about the sideways tilt, but I'm sure someone will recognize the problem

[roitelet]

I would think that you have the dreaded sawfly. The tiny caterpillars can strip a bush in a few days. The only solution I have found is that once every three years spray with an systemic insecticide, not that I like doing it but there seems that there is not another control. It is a bit late for you as the beasts will have dropped to the soil to pupate. Stir the soil up round the base of the plant and hope the birds will eat them for you.

Next year keep an eye on the lower leaves early in the season and at the first sign of them spray and that should do for them. They can have three generations a year but if you hit the first one that will help to control them. The alternative is to pick them off by hand, if you have the time and patience. It is possible that've crop will be diminished next year as the leaves have been stripped this year.

[fishpond]

As the fruit has been left, it pretty well says Sawfly, not birds.
Go over the remaining leaves as well as stirring up the soil every few weeks and spray next year.
Not very organic, but?

[rustylady]

Sawfly - horrible creatures

[chefgage]

Yep gooseberry sawfly. We get them every year. I use grow your own nematodes which seems to reduce the damage but as most of your leaves have gone expect a poor crop of fruits next year. This year my fruits are very small compared to last year. After they have finished fruiting i am going to dig all of them up and bin the lot as i am fed up of the sawfly. We are them going to put a load of blueberry bushes in pots in their place. No doubt there will be some pest along to distroy them as well!!!!!

[mothhawk]

Underlay the bush with weed suppressant fabric so the caterpillars can't get into the soil to pupate, and any already in there won't be able to get out come next year. Cover the WSFabric with sharp gravel, which stops the caterpillars crawling across it to the soil at the edge, and plant lavender as close to the bush as you can get it. The scent masks the smell of the gooseberry and the sawfly can't find it.