Question
Hello Melissa,
I live in the south of England so we have a pleasant climate throughout spring, summer and autumn although cold winters.
I have a gooseberry plant next to a redcurrent bush which were planted about 3 years ago in the partial shade of an overhanging tree.  The past few months the gooseberry has lost almost all of it's leaves and the few berries it had have disappeared.  Also the redcurrent has lost most of the leaves lower down the plant and the top ones have raggedy holes in them.  There are only a few berries left!  I couldn't work out whether it was diseases or pests!?  Your help would be great :-)

Answer
Dear Chantelle,  After doing a lot of reading on gooseberries and redcurrants I believe I know what is happening with your bushes.  It definitely seems to be an insect problem, and there are three possible culprits.  One is the magpie moth, one is the V-moth, but the most likely suspect is the Gooseberry sawfly (Nematus ribesii).  The gooseberry sawfly looks a great deal like a beneficial or non-stinging wasp, but the larvae look similar to caterpillars.  According to most reports this sawfly is capable of removing all the leaves off the gooseberry bush.  Since the redcurrant is in the same family, that is why they are both affected.  Now, were the problem one of the moths, Bacillus thurengensis should take care of the problem, but it has no effect on the sawfly larvae.  I found that in the past these were controlled in England with a weak carbolic acid or powdered hellebore, but I don't know exactly where you would get that.  The best recommendations would be to spray the bushes weekly with a mixture of horticultural oil (get a light weight or summer oil or SunSpray if you can get it) and Neem.  Neem is very effective since it takes care of insects, mites, and fungus, and also works as a feeding retardant, so insects visiting your bushes will lose their appetite.  I would spray every week, making sure to get the tops and bottoms of leaves, then if you eat berries off the bushes, wait two days to eat them, or pick them before you spray.  In addition, plant clean up around your bushes is critical.  The pest can be virtually eradicated if you take extra care to remove and destroy fallen leaves around the bushes this year.  Interestingly, while looking up your answer, I was surprised that I could now identify the weird "wasps" that hang around some vining bushes in my area.  They are evidently also sawflies, just a different variety.  Anyway, I hope this information helps.  Please contact me again if you need further assistance.  Good luck, Melissa