Three years ago I was in the same boat as you ... ended up with not a leaf on any bush. Since then I've made up a spray of neem oil and as soon as all the leaves are out in April I drench each bush. Any spare solution goes onto the soil below the plant as the earthworms are supposed to love it. I do a second drench at the end of May (just in case) and have had great crops since.
Neem is totally organic and although it stinks a bit is easy to mix up and apply (see link below). I got mine off ebay .... wasn't expensive for a big bottle which will last ages. At room temperature it is solid, but goes liquid again with a couple of hours in the airing cupboard.
Am using this year on the lilies as the dreaded beetle has now put an appearance in Scotland.
I have had the problem of gooseberry sawfly over the last few years. As the bushes are in my garden I do daily inspection and manage to keep on top of them by squashing them, there is some damage but the bushes are thriving. This year my gooseberries had aphids attacking the new growth, I found ants crawling up and down the shoots so they must have been "farming" them. However I have only found two sawfly caterpillars so far this year. Wondering if the ants on the bush have carried them off to their nest as food?.
Mine seem to have survived the first wave of sawfly, due to my constant checking. I don't know whether you ants would of taken them, but I like to think that they have . I have noticed I have lots of fat spiders on my bushes now and I think they have been gobbling the adults! Hoping this will help keep the numbers down..
I get the same problem. Those little buggers can eat a whole bush over night. As soon as I spot them, I spray the bush with thick soapy water and squish them all dead !
OMG, I am so glad that I am not the only one. and you are right, it can happen over night because I am constantly in my back yard and didn't notice all this damage yesterday. I better look at my red currant bush now, that is all I need, and I hate to use any sprays. BTW I am in the US, the Detroit area. Happy gardening all
I went to check my garden pots early this morning and was horrified to find about 200 'caterpillars' breakfasting on my gooseberry bush! Spent half an hour picking the blighters off! Hardly any leaf left. Now I realise they were sawfly larvae. Will check again tomorrow but would really like to stop any more resurfacing. And I thought slugs were my biggest pest problem!
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They like red and white currants - don't think they eat anything else
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi Andrew,
Three years ago I was in the same boat as you ... ended up with not a leaf on any bush. Since then I've made up a spray of neem oil and as soon as all the leaves are out in April I drench each bush. Any spare solution goes onto the soil below the plant as the earthworms are supposed to love it. I do a second drench at the end of May (just in case) and have had great crops since.
Neem is totally organic and although it stinks a bit is easy to mix up and apply (see link below). I got mine off ebay .... wasn't expensive for a big bottle which will last ages. At room temperature it is solid, but goes liquid again with a couple of hours in the airing cupboard.
Am using this year on the lilies as the dreaded beetle has now put an appearance in Scotland.
Just a shame it doesn't work on slugs ....
So, worth a try ... good luck.
http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-repellent.html
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Hi
I have had the problem of gooseberry sawfly over the last few years. As the bushes are in my garden I do daily inspection and manage to keep on top of them by squashing them, there is some damage but the bushes are thriving. This year my gooseberries had aphids attacking the new growth, I found ants crawling up and down the shoots so they must have been "farming" them. However I have only found two sawfly caterpillars so far this year. Wondering if the ants on the bush have carried them off to their nest as food?.
Mine seem to have survived the first wave of sawfly, due to my constant checking. I don't know whether you ants would of taken them, but I like to think that they have
. I have noticed I have lots of fat spiders on my bushes now and I think they have been gobbling the adults! Hoping this will help keep the numbers down.. 
Just found a few on my red currants for the first time. Never been on them before. I went a squishing and they have gone for now.
Constant vigilance is needed. My bushes lost all their leaves last year and I'm dreading what I shall find when I see them again next weekend.
OMG, I am so glad that I am not the only one. and you are right, it can happen over night because I am constantly in my back yard and didn't notice all this damage yesterday. I better look at my red currant bush now, that is all I need, and I hate to use any sprays. BTW I am in the US, the Detroit area. Happy gardening all
I went to check my garden pots early this morning and was horrified to find about 200 'caterpillars' breakfasting on my gooseberry bush! Spent half an hour picking the blighters off! Hardly any leaf left. Now I realise they were sawfly larvae. Will check again tomorrow but would really like to stop any more resurfacing. And I thought slugs were my biggest pest problem!