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The gooseberry moth is a dangerous pest that attacks berry bushes at high speed. The caterpillars that eat the buds and leaf blades down to the veins cause more damage to the bushes. During the season of mass reproduction, insects can destroy the entire plant, so it is necessary to begin treatment with chemical or folk remedies at the first sign.
What does a gooseberry moth look like?
The gooseberry moth belongs to the order Lepidoptera, the moth family. This is a small butterfly with a beautiful color. It can be recognized by the following external indicators:
- the wingspan of the butterfly is 45-50 mm;
- the wings are painted a snow-white lemon color with pronounced black spots;
- the insect has a black head, a yellow abdomen covered with dark dots;
- decapod caterpillar up to 40 cm long;
- the back of the caterpillar is painted snow-white with diamond-shaped black spots;
- the light yellow abdomen is covered with numerous small dark spots;
- head, chest shield, paws – black;
- the pupa is black with lemon transverse stripes.
Gooseberry moth caterpillars overwinter in fallen vegetation. In early spring, the insect comes out of hiding and begins to eat buds and young foliage. During this period, pests cause great harm to the berry crop, as a result of which the plant loses strength and weakens. The adult pupates on the inside of the leaf, on shoots, in the root zone or on the walls of nearby buildings. The cocoon is located in a thin web, so detecting it is not difficult.
The pupa develops in about 25 days. In mid-summer, the winged gooseberry moth emerges from the pupae and, having become fertilized, begins to lay eggs on the inside of the leaf.
The butterfly is nocturnal; during the day it hides in the leaves. After 2 weeks, voracious caterpillars emerge from the eggs. At the end of summer, before the leaves begin to fall, the caterpillar envelops itself in a web cocoon, falls to the ground and remains there for the winter. Fallen leaves provide shelter from frost, so after the leaves fall, it is necessary to collect all plant debris and burn it.
Signs of a pest
When a pest appears on the foliage of gooseberries or currants, numerous through holes appear. During mass destruction, the caterpillars are able to gnaw off the foliage completely.
You can also detect the gooseberry moth in the evening or at night. Beautiful small butterflies will fly over the plant and lay mass eggs on the inside of the leaf.
Why is the appearance of moths dangerous on gooseberry bushes?
When the gooseberry moth appears, there is a danger - this is the lack of harvest and loss of the bush.Young, voracious individuals quickly eat up the foliage down to the very veins, which leads to weakening of the bush, stopping growth and development. Flowering is weak and yields drop. Various diseases begin to appear on a weakened plant, thereby weakening it completely. Such a bush will not prepare for winter and will die when cold weather sets in.
In order not to encounter difficulties and preserve the berry crop, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures in a timely manner. And when a gooseberry moth appears, begin immediate treatment with folk remedies, chemicals or biological products.
How to fight gooseberry moth with folk remedies
Very often, experienced gardeners ignore chemicals, thereby saving the environment and beneficial insects that pollinate and feed on flower pollen. Gardeners fight gooseberry moth mechanically and with folk remedies.
Mechanical method of combating gooseberry moth:
- manual collection of caterpillars;
- destruction of cocoons;
- use of adhesive belts;
- cleaning the trunk from plant debris.
Fighting gooseberry moth without using chemicals:
- Decoction of tomato tops. 1 kg of chopped tops is poured into 10 liters of water and left to infuse for 4-5 hours. Next, the bucket is placed on the fire and after boiling, boiled over low heat for about 3 hours. The cooled broth is filtered and diluted with water in equal proportions.
- Burdock infusion. Finely chop the burdock leaves, fill the bucket to 1/3 of the volume and fill it with water. The solution is left for 3 days in a warm room, after which it is filtered and treated with gooseberry and currant bushes.
- Milkweed decoction.4 kg of twig-like milkweed is poured into 5 liters of water. The broth is boiled for 3 hours, cooled and filtered. The finished solution is poured into a 10 liter bucket and clean water is added to the brim. The first treatment of the bushes is carried out when the caterpillars appear, the second – 5 days after the first.
- Hot peppers. 100 g of crushed chili pepper is poured into 1 liter of water, boiled for about an hour and left for 3 days to infuse. Before processing 1 tbsp. l. The solution is diluted in 10 liters of water with the addition of 50 ml of liquid soap.
- Infusion of wormwood. 1 kg of crushed wormwood is combined with 2 liters of water and boiled for 10-15 minutes. The cooled and strained infusion is poured into a 10 liter bucket and water is added to the brim. Treatment is carried out once every 7 days.
- Tansy powder. Flowers, leaves and shoots are dried and ground into powder. Affected bushes are powdered in the early morning or evening, in dry weather.
How to get rid of moths on gooseberries using chemicals
In case of mass infection, at the beginning of the growing season, you can use chemicals. But it must be remembered that they are toxic to the human body and pets.
After using chemicals, all exposed areas of the skin are washed with water, and if they come into contact with the mucous membrane, it is better to see a specialist as soon as possible.
Commonly used chemicals:
- Bromophos;
- Karbofos;
- Kizlar;
- Inta-vira;
- Peremethrin.
Fighting moths on gooseberries with biological products
If there is no time to prepare folk remedies, and the gooseberry moth attacked the plant during the fruiting period, gardeners use biological preparations. They are harmless to humans and animals, but have a detrimental effect on insect pests. In addition, these preparations contain beneficial microorganisms that have a positive effect on the growth and development of the plant.
Such drugs include:
- Bitoxibacillin – after treatment, the drug enters the caterpillar’s body through the foliage and affects the gastrointestinal tract. After a few days, the insect loses the ability to eat foliage and dies.
- Dendrobacillin – treatment of the bush is carried out during the growing season. The number of treatments depends on the degree of infestation. Caterpillars die 3-4 days after treatment.
- Lepidocide – insecticidal biological product with intestinal action. When the drug enters the body, the caterpillar is paralyzed and dies.
Prevention measures
To prevent the gooseberry moth from damaging currant and gooseberry bushes and also from destroying the crop, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures. For this:
- In autumn, all fallen vegetation is collected and burned.
- Deep loosening of the root zone.
- For the winter, the tree trunk circle is covered with film or roofing material so that in the spring the hatched caterpillars cannot attack the bush.
- If single individuals are detected, manual collection should be carried out.
- Treatment with folk remedies before buds open after flowering and harvesting.
Conclusion
The gooseberry moth causes great damage to berry bushes. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out timely prevention and follow agrotechnical rules.If a pest is detected, you can use chemical and biological preparations, as well as herbal decoctions. Daily inspection of the bushes for pests will allow you to save the plant and reap a bountiful harvest of tasty and healthy berries.
