Subject: Currant-eating (non)caterpiller solution

From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Wed, 05 Jun 1996 23:37:44 -0800

Many thanks to the hints that I got from everyone.  I now have a pretty
firm ID for my culprits.  They are indeed sawfly larvae (6 pairs of
prolegs), and based on food source and behaviour are almost certainly the
imported currant worm, Nematus ribesii.  I saved four large ones in a jar
and they seem to have turned into dark brown/black cocoons already.  If
I'm lucky I'll eventually get to take a look at what the adults look like
(I won't be releasing them :-)).  They're supposed to be black with a
yellowish abdomen.

It's amazing how inefficient they are at turning leaf mass into larvae
mass...  No wonder so few (a few dozen so far on two bushes) did so much
damage.  Now that I know what to look for, it should be easy to keep them
hand picked, or maybe resort to a bit of soap solution (it's harder to
find the smallest ones, who eat the fastest...)

Thanks again for all your help.
-- 
Allyn Weaks  [email-masked]
PNW Native Wildlife Gardening:  http://chemwww.chem.washington.edu/natives/
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