A very hungry caterpillar...
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 6:09 pm
... or rather, a million hungry caterpillars :sign10:
:sign10:
...
OK, I didn't count them, but there are LOTS! And they are VERY HUNGRY! And this is me
!
This evening I discovered that little green caterpillars had stripped all the leaves off a small red currant bush, still in pot and ready to be planted this autumn. And they were now busy on the next plant, a Josta berry. My helpful neighbour told me that the same type of beastie had also stripped his gooseberries in the past - which is why he's given up growing anything like that in his garden.
What the heck are they, and what can I do about them (apart from going round all my bushes and picking them off one by one - that would be even more difficult than hunting slugs, as they are green on green
)?!
I have been round with my spray bottle and some neem extract with citronella. No idea whether that'll deter the buggers, but my garden now smells like a citrus orchard. Nice!
So, if anbody can come up with a good idea how to get rid of them, short of the heavy chemical artillery, I'd be grateful.
Ina


OK, I didn't count them, but there are LOTS! And they are VERY HUNGRY! And this is me

This evening I discovered that little green caterpillars had stripped all the leaves off a small red currant bush, still in pot and ready to be planted this autumn. And they were now busy on the next plant, a Josta berry. My helpful neighbour told me that the same type of beastie had also stripped his gooseberries in the past - which is why he's given up growing anything like that in his garden.
What the heck are they, and what can I do about them (apart from going round all my bushes and picking them off one by one - that would be even more difficult than hunting slugs, as they are green on green

I have been round with my spray bottle and some neem extract with citronella. No idea whether that'll deter the buggers, but my garden now smells like a citrus orchard. Nice!
So, if anbody can come up with a good idea how to get rid of them, short of the heavy chemical artillery, I'd be grateful.
Ina