Caterpillars on currants: how to fight

The appearance of caterpillars on currant leaves is a very common problem. It is unlikely that there is at least one gardener who has not faced such a misfortune at least once in his life. Caterpillars on currants can completely deprive you of your harvest in a matter of days. Or worse, cause the plant to die.

At the same time, it is possible to get rid of some uninvited guests quite easily. But to achieve the destruction of others is a rather troublesome business. And here prevention becomes the main factor in the struggle. In principle, you should try to avoid the invasion of your garden by harmful insects.

Caterpillars on currants: why are they dangerous?

Caterpillars on currants: photo

Leaves (and sometimes stems, ovaries, buds, and even plant roots) are the basis of food for the caterpillar. In any case, until the moment when she turns into an adult insect.

The presence of caterpillars on currants not only spoils the aesthetic appeal of your garden, but also sometimes causes irreparable harm to plants. Hordes of caterpillars not stopped in time can completely gnaw leaves on currants, and then switch to inflorescences, ovaries, berries.

If the number of pests has reached a critical one, not all summer residents will be destined to see the harvest of berries on currants. There are times when the caterpillars feed not only on the ground parts of the plant, but also do not disdain its roots. And this will definitely lead to the death of the plant.

The currant bush affected by caterpillars always looks depressed, the yields are reduced, and the currant becomes more vulnerable to various infections. Some of them directly transmit sucking and gnawing pests.

But it happens that some owners have pests on the bushes, while others do not. What's the catch here? The point is most likely that some gardeners have a better process of caring for plants, most of the agrotechnical principles are observed. And for others, this process is left to chance, the shrubs grow on their own.

Indeed, in the process of caring for plants, it is necessary to constantly conduct their visual inspection, cut off diseased and dried (frozen) shoots, collect and burn fallen leaves and other plant residues.

If there are uncleaned plant debris next to the currant bushes, this is a wonderful winter home for various kinds of parasites. Just from here in the spring crowds of all kinds of guests will be drawn to you.

Caterpillars on currants: what types are there?

But if it was still not possible to avoid the attack of gnawing pests on the garden, you need to immediately start fighting them. And for this you need, as they say, to know the enemy by sight. Let's figure it out together, who could so persistently ask for your garden without an invitation. This will help with the selection of the most optimal pest control agent.

Leaf roll

Caterpillar Leafworm on currants: photo

A mature specimen of this pest is a brown butterfly with characteristic stripes on its wings. The caterpillar of this butterfly is green or greenish-brown in color. Her diet includes currant leaves and stems. Later, these caterpillars weave a cobweb enveloping the leaves, feeding on their sap until pupation.

Kidney moth

Caterpillar Kidney moth on currants: photo

The adult is a small but beautiful butterfly, white and brown in color, only 2 cm wide. This butterfly harms the fact that it lays eggs directly in the buds of young shoots of currants.

Caterpillars of yellowish-gray color hatching from eggs eat the ovaries and buds from the inside. As a result of such activity, the ovaries damaged by caterpillars dry up. And berry yields are decreasing.

Moth

Caterpillar Moth on currant: photo

The moth caterpillars are able to completely eat all the foliage on the currants (mainly white and red currants are attacked), if they are not stopped in a timely manner. And the culprit of this trouble is a rather large yellow butterfly, which lays eggs on the back of currant leaves in early spring.

Glass-maker

Caterpillar Glassware on currants: photo

Perhaps the most dangerous insect, which is quite difficult to fight. The adult looks like a wasp. She lays eggs in the buds of the currant, as well as under the bark. The caterpillars that are born first eat the shoots from the inside, and then move in the direction of the roots. What is the main danger. If the caterpillars manage to gnaw the roots of the bush, its fate will be a foregone conclusion.

Sawfly

Caterpillar Sawfly on currants: photo

The green caterpillars of this small black bug are also able to eat all the greens from your currants, leaving only skeletons on the branches. Caterpillars are born from eggs that the bug has laid on currant leaves. During the season, up to three generations of caterpillars can be born. This fact makes it much more difficult to protect plants from this parasite.

Gallica

Caterpillar Gallica on currant: photo

This adult pest can be confused with a mosquito. Caterpillars of this pest feed on currant stems, hosting under the bark. You can see their presence on currants by the characteristic black swellings that form under the bark. The culinary preferences of this pest include mainly black currant, but there are cases of damage to its other species.

Gooseberry moth

Caterpillar Gooseberry moth on currants: photo

The adult insect is a gray butterfly. It affects the flowers of currants, as well as gooseberries and raspberries. Its caterpillars entwine the berries of bushes with a kind of cobweb, feeding on their juice. A crop damaged by moth caterpillars is no longer suitable for eating.

Brushtail (or stinging)

Caterpillars of this cute red-brown butterfly gnaw on currant leaves. The invasion of these caterpillars can be very massive, as the Tussel moth can lay 400 eggs in one cycle. Just imagine how many caterpillars can attack a currant due to the fault of just one single butterfly.

Caterpillars on currants: how to fight?

In the fight against caterpillars on currants, you can use various methods, ranging from collecting caterpillars by hand and folk remedies. And ending with the use of chemicals.

We use mechanical methods to combat currant caterpillars

If the spread of caterpillars on currants has not reached a mass character, you can try to fight them mechanically, namely:

• Shake them off. To do this, spread something of a light color (cloth or paper) under the bush so that the caterpillars are better visible. The currant branches are shaking well. Caterpillars find themselves on a spread basis, they are eliminated.
• Collect by hand. Discovered caterpillars are eliminated, preferably outside the garden.
• If the stems and bark of the bush have been attacked by pests, then they can simply be scraped off. To do this, use a brush, you can even take a toothbrush with hard bristles, pre-treated with soapy water.

The disadvantages of a mechanical method of removing pests is the fact that you will never achieve one hundred percent result. At least a few copies will remain. And this can lead to further spread of the pest. In addition, it is unlikely that the larvae that have not yet hatched will be shaken off.

Caterpillars eat currants - we fight with folk remedies

If there are not too many uninvited guests in your garden, then you can use the proven means of our grandmothers. Their use does not in any way affect the safety of the crop and does not harm the environment.

• Laundry soap... To combat caterpillars, you need to prepare a solution. To do this, take a standard bar of soap and dissolve it in a liter of water. For quick preparation, you can pre-grate the soap. The resulting liquid is sprayed on the bushes, or even manually process each leaf separately.
• Mustard solution... For its preparation for 2 tbsp. l. dry mustard add 3 liters of water. The resulting product is poured over currant leaves. This is a fairly effective method that allows you to eliminate pests in a short time.
• Infusion of garlic... Chop a couple of large cloves of garlic, add a liter of water and seal tightly. Insist for a week. Before working with the resulting product, it must be diluted in a ratio of 1:10 (otherwise you can burn the leaves).
• Hot pepper infusion... To prepare the infusion, 100 g of hot pepper is poured with a liter of hot (even boiling) water and left for several days to infuse. For use, the infusion is diluted in the same way as the above-described garlic. You can also take not water, but a soap solution to dilute the infusion. This will somewhat increase the efficiency of the method.

To enhance the effect of using folk methods of pest control, you can carry out several treatments at a certain time interval.

Caterpillars on currants: the use of chemicals

This method of dealing with caterpillars is perhaps the most effective and fastest.

The following chemicals are used to treat currants from pests:

• Karbofos 10%. Effective in the fight against kidney moths. The first treatment is carried out immediately after bud break, but another treatment will be required to achieve the desired effect during the summer period. This drug is also used in autumn (after picking berries) as a prophylaxis against the spread of glass caterpillars.
• Karbofos 0.3%... Used to combat moths. Processing is also carried out twice a summer. The first time the treatment is carried out in the spring, around April, during the active development of the kidneys. The next time the currants are processed at the beginning of summer, after already adult butterflies are born.
• Iskra-Bio and Fufanon... This drug acts against sawfly and moth. Processing is carried out in two stages - before and after currant flowering.
• Fitoverm... This drug is used as a prophylaxis against currant lesions. Bushes are processed after foliage bloom.

The use of biological agents

In addition to chemicals, biological agents can also be used to prevent and control caterpillars. Their action is based on natural components that have a detrimental effect on various kinds of parasites.

These funds, like folk remedies, do not affect the safety of the crop and do not harm the surrounding flora and fauna, acting selectively on pests.

The most popular biological preparations against gnawing pests are: Lepidocid, Nembact, Endobacterin, Bitoxibacillin. They should be used according to the instructions on the package.

Prevention of the spread of pests

Caterpillars on currants: photo

It is always easier to try to prevent a nuisance than to painfully try to get rid of it later. Moreover, currant caterpillars are a real problem. In order to prevent the appearance of various gnawing insects in your garden, regularly carry out the following preventive measures.

• Sanitize your bushes annually. Cut out dead, frozen, diseased-looking branches. Try not to thicken the bush by cutting out excess growth. Poorly groomed bushes are more likely to become the target of attack by various kinds of pests.
• Destroy all plant debris in and around the bush circle. Collect and burn fallen leaves and cut shoots away from the area.
• Dig the soil around and around the bushes in autumn. It is good to add wood ash or tobacco dust for digging. This has a detrimental effect on the larvae of pests, preventing their development. You can also mulch the ground under the bush. At the same time, the thickness of the mulch should be at least 7-10 cm. This will become a mechanical barrier for the caterpillars when they try to get on the bush in the spring.
• Plant insect repellent plants near the currants, such as garlic, yarrow, wormwood, chamomile, and others. Possessing a pungent odor and releasing special oils and phytoncides into the air, they are able to prevent adults from appearing on the bushes, which could later become the predecessors of dangerous caterpillars.
• Inspect currant bushes as often as possible. This way you will quickly find uninvited guests and be able to start fighting them even before their number becomes critical.