Epochra canadensis(syn.Euphranta canadensis)
If you ’ve ever plucked a naughty , ripe gooseberry from the plant and taken a pungency , only to be horrified to discover a lilliputian white maggot has taken up residence in the middle of the fruit , it ’s an experience you wo n’t before long forget .
Gooseberry or currant maggots are diminutive pests that tunnel into currant and gooseberries , and devour the pulp and seeds inside .
That athirst maggot is the larval form of the currant yield fly , aka the yellow currant fly .
Currant fruit worm (Nematus ribesii).
We link to seller to help you find relevant products . If you buy from one of our tie-in , we may pull in a charge .
Beyond being a seriously traumatizing dining experience if you go to take a bite from a fruit that ’s been invade , they can also cause the yield to drop from the bush , so you miss out on that tasty harvest you ’ve been influence so heavily to cultivate . And no one wants that !
Fortunately , this templet will help you identify and control these little pests . Here ’s what we ’ll discuss up in advance :
What You’ll Learn
The good intelligence is that these pesterer are totally doable , but the bad news is that it takes some effort .
I have a friend who stopped growing gooseberries commercially in Oregon because she got disturbed of all the damage this pest was doing to her harvest . But for the ordinary home grower , it ’s just start to require some loyalty .
On that note , let ’s get going !
What Are Currant Fruit Flies?
Currant yield flies are small insects that lay eggs that build up into larvae , and feed on the fruits of gooseberry and currant bushes .
Do n’t discombobulate currant yield tent flap with the imported currant worm ( Nematus ribesii ) . That ’s a whole other job .
These dark-green larvae with black spots are caterpillars that nibble on the foliage of currants and gooseberries , with the latter being their favored , and grownup currant worm are sawfly that look similar to houseflies .
There is also a gooseberry fruitworm , ( Zophodia convolutella ) , which is a unripened caterpillar with dark green stripes down its sides .
This worm eats its way out from the interior of the berries , destroy your yield craw , before moving on to eating the leaves . The adults are grey moths with mottled brown , cream , and gray flank .
Currant fruit fly sheet ( Euphranta canadensis)adults , on the other hand , are about a third of an inch long ( eight millimeters ) or slightly great and are beige , yellowish , or orangish in color . They have cleared wings with dark dance band across them .
The maggot are about a quarter of an inch long ( five millimeters ) , blanched , with tapered heads . If you discover them in the yield , this will look kind of like someone infix a grain of rice into the middle of your berry .
If you steer out to confab your berry patch and you comment lily-livered flies fall out on fence row , bushes , or nearby tree , you might want to start inspecting the berries for sign that eggs have been laid ( more on that below ) .
Another way to name the flies is to put out yellow sticky traps . This wo n’t eliminate an plague , but it will alert you to the fact that you have a problem on your hired hand and will contract tent-fly telephone number .
Yellow Sticky Traps
I use yellowish sticky traps all the clip during my horticulture endeavors . They ’re an essential part of my arsenal and I extremely suggest you keep some around , too .
you may get battalion of five , 10 , 25 , 50 , and 100available at Arbico Organics .
Currant Fruit Fly Biology and Life Cycle
The females lay eggs in the leaping under the pelt of the young , green , developing currant or gooseberry fruits . Each female can lay up to 200 eggs , usually one testicle per berry . That means one fly can ruin a whole mass of Chuck Berry in a hurry .
After a few days , the maggots think up and burrow further into the berry , feeding on the flesh and seeds as they go . They hang out in the center of the Chuck Berry , eating until they are fully grow . One maggot can normally eat the integral inside of the yield – they ’re greedy little pest .
As the fruit mature , the infested ace may turn red and they may fall from the plant onto the ground . Eagle - eyed gardeners may distinguish a flat , discolored area where the adult insert the egg into the yield .
Around the time when overrun berries initiate falling to the ground , the maggot pretermit to the soil ( if they are n’t there already ) where they hang out during the winter as brown pupa about the size of a grain of straw .
They burrow one to three inches deep near the base of the bushes to overwinter . They especially roll in the hay spots that are underwrite in leaves and other debris , and they can remain in the soil for up to 10 calendar month .
In the spring , they emerge from the land as adult flies over a catamenia of several week . But hey , on the bright side , there ’s only one genesis per year !
Organic Control Methods for Currant Fruit Flies
I always encourage nurseryman to try constitutional control method first , but in particular with this pest . With some effort , you may prevent these fruit fly from put nut without using any chemical substance .
Cultural
The first whole tone is to make your grow sphere inhospitable to the flies and larvae .
Rake up any fall berry mightily away to prevent the maggots from burrowing into the ground . murder any leaves or other debris from under plant life in the tumble to make a less cozy spot for the pupae to hide in . We want to make it dainty and easy for predators like hoot to recover them .
In the fall , wintertime , and spring , gently cultivate the ground around the bushes down a few inches to debunk the pupa and larvae . Cold weather can defeat them , but birds and other critters will do most of the work . Currant maggots make a tasty snack .
Just keep in thinker that gooseberry and currant plants have shallow roots . You do n’t want to tame too deep or you could damage their root system .
Physical
If you have currant flies , floating row coversare about to become your new best friend . Just note that you perfectly do n’t want to use covert if you already have an plague !
You ’ll just be trap the flies in with your berries , and they ’ll be able-bodied to lay eggs without hinderance from any predator .
await to put the covers in place until the flower petal have fallen from the blossoms on the plant life . Otherwise , pollenation might not occur and you wo n’t get fruits . decent after the petals descend , get those screen in place !
Be certain to secure the covers to the stem of the flora . If you seize the covers to the ground , the flies can emerge from the soil inside the covering .
you could also lay a tarpaulin or a bed of plastic down on the ground to prevent the maggot from dropping to the soil in orderliness to pupate . Typically , the pupation stage happens in late spring or former summer . In the Pacific Northwest where I live , that translate to mid- to early June .
Make certain the tarpaulin extend a foot or two beyond the yield drop zone under the bush . Every few days , clean up the tarp , carefully shake the maggots and berries into a garbage cup of tea , seal it , and dispose of them .
you could remove the tarps completely when there are no more Charles Edward Berry on the plants .
You should also channelize out to your plants daily and pick any visibly infested fruit , and dispose of them in a certain handbag .
Predators
Do whatever you could to advance swallows , western fence lizard , cedar waxwings , and warblers to call in your garden . They love to snap up tent flap and can help reduce currant fruit fly number .
Have chickens , ducks , bird of Juno , or guinea fowl ? Awesome , have them open in your berry spot .
They ’ll exhaust the maggot , pupae , and fly . You might lose a few Berry lower down on the bushes , but birds wo n’t usually commence give way at them until the fruit is ripe . By then , you could herd your flock somewhere else .
After the berries are all harvest , cultivate the soil and let the Bronx cheer back in to dig up and devour any errant pupae .
Organic Pesticides
There are n’t any spray treatments available that are good against the larva because they burrow into the fruit where they ca n’t be reached . Any intervention want to be direct at controlling the grownup fly , and you ask to clock the practical program so that you are killing the flies before they start repose .
After emerge from the soil , the flies set forth set egg within about two weeks . This is where sticky ambuscade amount in ready to hand . bug out in the former spring , hang the traps on the prow of the bush at the same altitude where the berries are grow .
At the first sign of a fly , it ’s time to get spray . You ca n’t stop after one software , either .
Since the flies issue over a period of a few week , you must spray repeatedly , at least once a calendar week until the berry are ready to harvest , to toss off the fresh - emerged adults . Reapply after rainfall , as well .
Do n’t forget to apply spray to the smother tree and bushes , and utilise it to both the top and the bottom of the leafage . That ’s where the flies care to hang up out .
Pyrethrins , which are deduct from chrysanthemum bloom , are efficient against the flies .
Monterey Bug Buster-0 contains this pesticide and is approved for employment in organic gardens , but that does n’t mean it does n’t have possible undesirable side effects . It is toxic to bee and Pisces .
Monterey Bug Buster-0
Remember , spray on plant when the grownup flies are present . To pick up some of this ready to hand knock - down nebulizer , head over to Arbico Organicsfor an eight - ounce or 16 - ounce container .
Monterey Garden Insect Spray
Monterey makes a garden louse sprayer that contains Spinosad , which you could buy in pint , quart , or gallon containersat Arbico Organics . It is also toxic to bees , so use precaution .
Do n’t practice any of these products when bees are scrounge . To limit your chances of by chance harming bees , apply in the evening .
Eucalyptus amygdalina and rosemary all important oils rebuff the adult tent-fly . immix a teaspoon of oil with a cup of body of water and spray industrial plant liberally after the blossoms have faded . you could also purchase pre - made mixes . Apply every few day and any time after it rains .
I would n’t trust on essential oil alone , but combined with cultural controls , you may keep all but the worst infestations under mastery .
Chemical Pesticide Control
You should always essay to do whatever you’re able to to ascertain this plague without using chemicals , since chemical spray often have unintended consequences .
In this type , Paragon Conquer , which contain esfenvalerate , is an effective ascendence against currant yield flies . But it also obliterate local bee populations . To minimize the impact , apply in the evening and when there is no steer .
Use this atomiser when flies are present , follow the manufacturer ’s program recommendation and according to the schedule lay out above for organic pesticide .
Paragon Conquer
If you need to purchase some to harness your currant fly sheet office , Amazon has bottles concentrate available .
Please be sure to wearprotective clothinglike long sleeves and eye goggles whenworking with chemic pesticides .
Shoo, Currant Fruit Flies!
No one have a go at it to shell out with pests , specially ones that lurk inside juicy berries , just waiting to surprise you like something out of a mediaeval novel . But currant fruit fly are completely manageable , and now you know how .
If you were able to eradicate an plague , please be sure to come back and tell us what worked advantageously for you .
Did this usher help you identify or get rid of this gooseberry pest ? If so , we have some other great information onbattling bugs in the gardenfor you to read next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more item . primitively put out May 5th , 2021 . Last update May 12th , 2023 . Product photos via Arbico Organics and Home Depot . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock .
About
Kristine Lofgren
