Kitchen Garden Forum

Is there any way of eradicating Solomons Seal sawfly when they're overwintering?
Some of mine got decimated by the grey wrigglers. I picked off as many of the caterpillars as I could but they still stripped some of my clumps bare.
I don't like to use sprays when the caterpillars are there cos they're so indidcrminate.

I know nothing about this but the clever guys on here will be along shortly - bear with them, busy days watering & melting & resting!

Happens to mine every year, though it was later this year, fortunately usually long after the flowering has finished, so I have sort of accepted it as a part of nature. Tried squashing them, but it had little effect and like you I don't like to use chemicals.

They were much later here too so we got a really good show while they were flowering. I was going to squash the grubs but decided to leave them for the birds. If they pupate in the soil cultivating round the plants should expose them and reduce the numbers next year.I'm not sure how palatable they are to birds.

I tried scooping the off but there were so many!!!
I gathered quite a few(which was very fiddly) and proffered them to my chickens,who were singularly unimpmressed,which was disappointing!
Maybe next year I'll try washing them off with soapy water and then squishing them.

I had them for the first time this year,left them alone in case they were something exotic but will zap them next year.

Good to see you back on the forum, Arthur e......

Hi Ya, I have never heard of this pest. I did a search on line and see it goes for plants of the asparagus family. Is this true? What other plants does it go for? Never seen one or heard of them on our site and quite a few have asparagus.Goodluck