"John Nolan" wrote in message
.uk...
In article , "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:


"John Nolan" wrote in message
.uk...
Hello All,

We are very much amateur fruit tree growers, and are very worried.
[snip]

Out of about 15 fruit trees, 2 may have died.

What to do ? Heeeeelp !!!!!! ;-((

John N.

Gooseberries will always recover from sawfly attack although it may
reduce
fruit yield, I had not up until your post heard of top fruit being
devastated in that way, the leaves I presume are obviously being eaten?
not
going black and shrivelling?

No, definitely being eaten. There are about 3 different kinds of small,
juicy caterpillars chewing away. In reply to Kate, I wondered if one of
the
problems could be lack of birds.

Then again, it could be subtle things like weather conditions. But no-one
has been quite as badly hit as we have. We do have many large oak trees
about 100 yards away.

Actually, there was a program about global warming the other day, in which
the threat to many of our tress was mentioned. I think oaks were one.
Although oaks give food and shelter to many species, if hard Winters don't
keep some moths etc. in check, the speaker wondered if some of those trees
will survive.

We have just got to do a bit of learning. For eaxample, apart from getting
grease bands on in time, around September, perhaps we should spray before
the little blighters of caterpillars hide inside the curled up leaves.

The strange thing is that others not far away are not suffering as we are.

John

--
From Glorious Gloucestershire, near Lydney, using :------------
John, we have loads of tit boxes and at this time of year around 6 of them
are occupied they collect incredible quantities of caterpillars once the
chicks hatch. It wont help this year but might next.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea