Gooseberry pests: control and prevention

Gooseberries, like many other fruit shrubs, can be attacked by various pests. They are able to cause irreparable harm to the plant in just a few days and leave summer residents without a crop. Try to find the best pest control and prevention method for yourself.

The most common gooseberry pests and methods of dealing with them

Gooseberry moth

It is a gray butterfly with brown stripes on the front wings and a two centimeter long caterpillar green with a black head. This pest leaves its larvae right inside the flower, which, when the berries ripen, eat it from the middle. Damaged berries dry out or rot.

What to do?

1. There should be a mulching layer on the soil near the gooseberry bushes.
2. It is necessary to rid the bush of berries that are damaged by pests in time.
3. Apply spraying with herbal infusions (based on wood ash, tomato tops, dry mustard).
4. Carry out a double treatment of bushes with biological products (for example, Entobacterin, Gomelin, Lepidocid) or chemical agents (for example, Karbofos, Gardona, Kinmiks). The first treatment is carried out during the budding period, and the second - at the end of flowering.

Gooseberry sawfly

It is an insect of black color with red or yellow tints, resembling a fly and a caterpillar, the body of which consists of numerous dots of black, green and blue. The insect lays eggs directly on the leaves. Caterpillars feed on gooseberry leaves and can destroy the plant in just a few days.

What to do?

1. It is necessary to prune old branches in a timely manner.
2. Use mulch.
3. With the arrival of spring, in order to prevent the near-trunk zone of the bush, pour hot water.
4. To destroy the larvae of the pest by hand, shaking them off on a prepared base.
5. Treat the plant with "Fitoverm" or one of the chemicals (for example, Gardon, Karbofos, Ambush). Spraying is carried out before flowering.

Gooseberry shoot aphid

These are insects of a small size, light green in color, the larvae of which hatch in early spring. They feed on the sap of leaves and shoots. You can find aphids by rolling leaves.

What to do?

1. Ladybugs are the main enemies of aphids.
2. Spray with infusion of wood ash or tobacco.
3. Treat plants with biological products or chemical solutions (for example, Iskra or Decis). The first spraying is carried out before flowering, and the second after harvest.

Gooseberry moth

It is a white butterfly, on the wings of which there is a black pattern and two yellow stripes and a yellow-white caterpillar with small black spots. Caterpillars begin their "work" with the arrival of spring and with the appearance of young leaves on the plant. They can completely destroy the leaf mass.

What to do?

1. Apply a mulch layer.
2. Spill the bushes with hot water in early spring.
3. Timely rid the bushes of dry and damaged branches.
4. Carry out preventive spraying and treatment of shrubs with special solutions (before and after flowering).

You should not immediately resort to the help of insecticidal drugs. At the initial stage of the appearance of pests, you can do with folk remedies and leave the berries environmentally friendly.

Organic recipes for pest control

Infusion of wood ash

To prepare it, you will need 3 kilograms of ash and a large bucket of water. The infusion is kept for 48 hours, filtered and liquid laundry soap (about 40 grams) is added.

Infusion of tomato tops

Four kilograms of tops should be boiled in 10 liters of water over low heat for 30 minutes. Before use, the infusion must be diluted with water (1 part of the infusion for 4 parts of water) and used for spraying.

Mustard powder infusion

Add 100 grams of mustard powder to a large bucket of water, let it brew for 48 hours. After insisting, add another bucket of water and 40 grams of liquid soap.

Infusion of tobacco

Within 24 hours, you need to insist 1 kilogram of tobacco crushed into dust, filled with 10 liters of water.

You can fight harmful insects on gooseberry bushes with a thick film or roofing material. This material is laid out for the winter around each bush so that in the spring insects that hibernate in the ground cannot get to the surface.

Of great importance for the protection and prevention of pests is:

• Soil quality and composition.
• Mandatory mulching layer.
• Timely thinning and pruning of bushes.
• Timely organic feeding.
• Flowers - repellents in the garden.

Protecting gooseberries from caterpillars Gooseberry moth (video)