No birds or caterpillars?

amandstu

I don't want to complain about good luck but has any one noticed that the birds are ignoring the strawberries this year?

I always net of course but never really bothered yet and most of the crop has been picked I would say (or at least we are into the best of it) and I haven't seen a single bird-or evidence of them-in the strawberries .

It couldn't be down to owls nesting nearby could it?

Are they just biding time?

Also this is the first year I can remember without the gooseberry sawfly (so far but the crop is about pickable now)

Stefan_Cork

Hehe,

well i thought the same first and hey i dont need to net my strawberries.
Coming home after work they cleared my ca 40 plants of any red fruits.

Plenty of food sources around this time of year and once they find them there gone quick...
Its a gamble but once a couple birds spotted them its there M&S for next few days.
Especially blackbirds there cute little feckers.... avoiding my J.R.dogs on patrol easily.

Cheerio

redser7

Yeah, I think once one finds them then its game over. Plants at the plot are fine but the ones in the back garden have been fairly pillaged.
The sawfly stripped 2 gooseberry bushes and a red currant. I'm thinking of digging them up in the autumn, it takes so much effort and in the end it's all for nothing

inocybe

Had gooseberry sawfly here. Currently battling sawfly on birch, they've completely stripped a few of the smaller trees. They have to be my most hated garden pest:mad:

amandstu

redser7 wrote: »

Yeah, I think once one finds them then its game over. Plants at the plot are fine but the ones in the back garden have been fairly pillaged.
The sawfly stripped 2 gooseberry bushes and a red currant. I'm thinking of digging them up in the autumn, it takes so much effort and in the end it's all for nothing

A good few years back I noticed that it was the redcurrants they seemed to like better (they seemed to start there first ) and so I separated the gooseberries and the redcurrants. I think it helped a bit (not a cure obviously).

redser7

amandstu wrote: »

A good few years back I noticed that it was the redcurrants they seemed to like better (they seemed to start there first ) and so I separated the gooseberries and the redcurrants. I think it helped a bit (not a cure obviously).

Mine are separated but the flies still laid their eggs on both. My only worry would be that if I took them away would next years flies go after something else? It might be worth keeping them as sacrificial plants. Red currants are very bitter anyway and the goosegogs? Pfff, not overly in love with them.

amandstu

For years and years we never ate the redcurrants but now we use them raw-and net them.

Have been thinking of making gooseberry ice cream.Apparently you add avacado to it .Otherwise gooseberry fool is terrific -as are the raw fruit-even the cookers - when they are just ready to fall (the slugs show up so they can't be all bad).