North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lon Rombough <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Since they pupate in the soil, one thing I'd try would be killer 
nematodes.  They attack all sorts of soil dwelling pests and did a good 
job on strawberry root weevils I had trouble with one time.  If they 
work on the sawfly pupae, it would be a long-term cure.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at 
http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association 
"Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
On Sep 23, 2004, at 9:22 AM, derry&bill wrote:

Hélène,

It's not really a caterpillar, but a caterpillar-like pest. It is the 
larval form
of a sawfly. It looks like a caterpillar and it is green, smooth with 
black spots
and a black head. Hymenoptera Family. A British reference calls it 
Nematus
ribesii.

The sawfly lays eggs along the underside of the veins of the currant 
bush.
Depending on the weather, in south coastal B.C., the egg hatches at the 
end of
April. There may be a second generation in June. They pupate in the 
soil beneath
the currant bush. The sawfly emerges and flies up into the currant bush 
to lay
eggs.