Gooseberry Sawfly - Damage to leaves by caterpillars

The small caterpillars of the Gooseberry Sawfly can soon ruin a plant if not spotted and treated in good time. Small, black-spotted green caterpillars - up to 2.5cm long get to work and can strip a Gooseberry bush of leaves in just a few days. it can also attack currants with the same devastating effect.

With around three generations in a year, the sawfly is a serious pest, and unless close watch is kept, can be a very serious problem.

As soon as the foliage breaks in early April, do regular checks for this pest. If just a few are noticed, then they can be picked off by hand. However, Provado is a good systemic insecticide to use, or Bifenthrin can be used as a contact spray.

Typical sawfly damage - here seen on an azalea. The gooseberry sawfly caterpillars do similar damage to gooseberries.