Kitchen Garden Forum

Terrible damage in the last week, looks gastly.
Leaves have dropped off
The adjacent redcurrants bushes are OK (thank goodnes) as are the gooseberries.
I am going to take some pictures, then I thought I would just prune right down and hope that next year things recover.

Pictures

Dear Stephen, i can't quite tell from the photos, but i'm sure the problem is either aphids or capsid bugs.
You can spray with an insecticide, or keep squashing the offenders, off the back of the leaves and growing tips.

Hi Stephen, Oh dear! Like OH said, looks very much like aphids to me. I had black aphid on my blackcurrants earlier but they were all up the stems and blended in very nicely. I only spotted them when I noticed the honeydew on the leaves and had a closer look. There were far too many to rub off, so I resorted to spraying them. All is well now. If you are going to prune, I would still spray as well...belt and braces job! Cheers.

Hi OH and Elaine
Thanks for the advice.
Different aphids from previous years when I did have leaf-curl problems.
Spray is to hand.
Secateurs too.

Are you bushes netted? Plagues of pests are often a problem where birds are excluded. The netting only needs to be on when fruits are ripening.

Eating my breakfast this morning, I watched sparrows eat aphids of my climbing rose. They'll eat bazillions of them given the chance.

Hi Felix
No, not netted, but see very few sparrows, which is a shame.
The ants have cultivated/exploited the aphids in the past.

I have had an aphid problem with my black currants this year. I took cuttings which were doing really well until the little beasts got their claws (or rather sucking mouth)- parts in. T

The white currant cuttings are fine and growing really well into small bushes and these were taken after the blackcurrants.