Grow Your Own Magazine

i have a one year oldish gooseberry bush that is getting slaughterd by black ants, i was wondering if there was anything that i could do to stop it, has anyone else sufferd from this.
any help much appreciated

matt.

Confused. Ants don't eat gooseberries!

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Hi Matt, as TwoSheds says, ants don't eat gooseberry bushes. What they can do is nest under the roots and undermine the bush, causing the bush to die. They also farm aphids (probably blackfly) which will infest the new shoots on your plant and suck the life out of them. Are you sure it's ants you've seen and not blackfly, or is it both?

im positive its ants, there are also thousands of tiny black things under the leaves, im new to this growing lark and not sure what it is.

matt.

Chuck a few peanuts/sunflower hearts under the bush. At this time of year adult birds are desperate for natural food for their chicks, whether it be blackfly, greenfly, etc.

valmarg

The little black things under the leaves are blackfly. If you're against chemicals then hose them off with a water jet or squish them off with your fingers.