Moth infestation of gooseberry bush

We have a gooseberry bush which is laden with berries. I have picked 3 quarts already and there are probably at least 4 more to go. Two days ago I noticed some of the leaves on the ends of this year’s shoots had been nibbled completely away. This morning more have been affected. I have found one little ball of what looks like a bit of white cotton fluff inside one leaf. Inside several others, which are curled, there seem to be small brown cylinders which look as if they could have held eggs. I found two very pale green caterpillars – a quarter of an inch long, and 4 bigger grey-green ones with black stripes.

A similar thing happened last year. Immediately after the fruit finished the leaves were completely eaten away – very rapidly until one morning the bush was almost completely denuded. We thought the bush was dead and were amazed when it grew strongly again this spring. I have sprayed with soap water, but what else can I do and wha

Posted by Sheila Means on July 18, 2014