Hi,

I went to pick the gooseberries today, and found that 2
uncovered bushes had been more or less cleared of fruit. I've
never had this before, so looked to see what caused it.

No sign of any insects on the remaining fruit, or on the
leaves.

some of the fruit on the bushes was clearly beeing eaten, split
across the middle and some of the fruit eaten out.

Bushes are quite tightly packed, being in a relatively small
space with little room for expansion and are close together.

Thorns on them would I'd have thought deterred birds.

So what is eating them lease?


--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

In article ,
says...

Hi,

I went to pick the gooseberries today, and found that 2
uncovered bushes had been more or less cleared of fruit. I've
never had this before, so looked to see what caused it.

No sign of any insects on the remaining fruit, or on the
leaves.

some of the fruit on the bushes was clearly beeing eaten, split
across the middle and some of the fruit eaten out.

Bushes are quite tightly packed, being in a relatively small
space with little room for expansion and are close together.

Thorns on them would I'd have thought deterred birds.

So what is eating them lease?

Foxes, badgers, squirrels, birds will all eat fruit. So will some
dogs.

Janet

On 03/07/2014 23:08, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Hi,

I went to pick the gooseberries today, and found that 2
uncovered bushes had been more or less cleared of fruit. I've
never had this before, so looked to see what caused it.

Usually on approach you hear the alarm call of a blackbird or thrush
disgruntled about being chased off it's patch. Jostaberries are even
worse for this problem. Reminds me it is time ot net them and the
blueberries before they show any colour or they vanish in 24 hours!

No sign of any insects on the remaining fruit, or on the
leaves.

Gooseberry sawfly eats all the leaves again pretty much overnight if you
are out of luck - happened to me one year. Quite a shock it was.

some of the fruit on the bushes was clearly beeing eaten, split
across the middle and some of the fruit eaten out.

Bushes are quite tightly packed, being in a relatively small
space with little room for expansion and are close together.

Thorns on them would I'd have thought deterred birds.

So what is eating them lease?

Birds. They like thorny bushes it keeps the cats out.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 03/07/2014 23:08, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Hi,

I went to pick the gooseberries today, and found that 2
uncovered bushes had been more or less cleared of fruit. I've
never had this before, so looked to see what caused it.

No sign of any insects on the remaining fruit, or on the
leaves.

some of the fruit on the bushes was clearly beeing eaten, split
across the middle and some of the fruit eaten out.

Bushes are quite tightly packed, being in a relatively small
space with little room for expansion and are close together.

Thorns on them would I'd have thought deterred birds.

So what is eating them lease?

Have you looked around the bush, This year for the first time I've had
mice taking strawberries and stockpiling them a couple of feet away.

"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I went to pick the gooseberries today, and found that 2
uncovered bushes had been more or less cleared of fruit. I've
never had this before, so looked to see what caused it.

No sign of any insects on the remaining fruit, or on the
leaves.

some of the fruit on the bushes was clearly beeing eaten, split
across the middle and some of the fruit eaten out.

Bushes are quite tightly packed, being in a relatively small
space with little room for expansion and are close together.

Thorns on them would I'd have thought deterred birds.

So what is eating them lease?


--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

If the bushes are not inside a fruit cage my money is on Blackbirds

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

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...


If the bushes are not inside a fruit cage my money is on Blackbirds


And they will also go for your greenhouse strawberries.
Once they get the taste of the fruits - no stopping them. (:-(

Pete

"Roger Tonkin" wrote

I went to pick the gooseberries today, and found that 2
uncovered bushes had been more or less cleared of fruit. I've
never had this before, so looked to see what caused it.

No sign of any insects on the remaining fruit, or on the
leaves.

some of the fruit on the bushes was clearly beeing eaten, split
across the middle and some of the fruit eaten out.

Bushes are quite tightly packed, being in a relatively small
space with little room for expansion and are close together.

Thorns on them would I'd have thought deterred birds.

So what is eating them lease?

Ours are also being eaten, looking at the evidence it's birds of some sort
not mice. The mice are busy eating our cherries! First time that we have had
the gooseberries eaten, I suppose it will happen every year now. :-(
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Me too...was looking forward to making gooseberry jam. Went to harvest my beautiful fruit and only 2 gooseberries left on entire bush!