How to Kill Bugs on Currant Berries

Currants are not prone to insect infestation.

Currants are a hardy berry that is not difficult to grow. Just a few of the plants can produce enough fruit for jellies, pies and pastries such as scones or muffins. The plants need to be planted in well-drained soil, rich in organic matter. Insects do not bother currants as a rule of thumb, but on occasion some pests cause serious damage.

Things You'll Need

• Predatory insects
• Pruning shears
• Spray bottle
• Liquid soap
• Garlic
• Cayenne pepper
• Horseradish
• Ginger

Instructions

1. Purchase lady beetles or predatory wasps to eat currant aphids. The aphid, a 2-millimeter-long green pest, overwinters on plant stems, hatching in early spring.

2. Cut out with pruning shears and destroy currant canes infested with the pale, yellow, wormlike larva of the currant borer. The clear-winged moth lays its eggs in the early summer and then the worm eats all the canes.

3. Spray chemical applications such as malathion or rotenone on plants damaged by other pests, including the currant worm, aphids, the four-line plant bug or the gooseberry fruitworm. Rotenone is considered an organic pesticide, but it has been linked to Parkinson's disease, so follow instructions carefully when using it.

4. Mix up your own insecticidal soap and spray it on your currant plants and berries. It's much easier to rinse off a homemade soap before eating currants. Fill a spray bottle with two tbsp. of plain, liquid soap in one quart of water. Add garlic, cayenne pepper, horseradish or ginger to the mix to repel the insects.

References

• Purdue University Cooperative Extension; Currants and Gooseberries; Michael Lerner, et al.; April 2001
• "Growing Currants, Gooseberries and Elderberries in Wisconsin"; Terry Roper, et al.; 1998
• Pesticides News; Rotenone; December 2001