[willowman]

Was inspecting blackcurrants yesterday and I spotted some strange objects attached to the stems of the plant.

They are white cylinders, about 1 centimetre long, with a brown top.

When handled the white outside is very sticky, stringy and silky, and the brown top is like a tiny brown slug, somewhat squidgy.

I will try to post some piccys, but wondered if anybody could identify them in the meantime.

[Trillium]

Does the growth look like the one in this piccy?

http://fruitdisease.co.uk/file.asp?ID=32

[mumofstig]

are they galls Trillium ?

[Trillium]

Yes they are, gall mites, and they're starting to become a real nuisance in the UK. Here's the reference:

http://www.fruitdisease.co.uk/BlackcurrantGallMite.asp

[willowman]

No, they don't look like those pics.

Perhaps I shouldn't have described them as "growths", they are more like attachments, something deposited on the stem, like you see cuckoo pit on plants.

Have taken pictures and will try to get them on the site.

[willowman]

Sorry - "cuckoo spit"

Hopefully the photos are here, never posted photos before so anything can happen.

[willowman]

Sorry again.

Pressed post before I attached photos, well I did warn you!

[willowman]

Here's another one.

[spottymint]

Hi

Are they these ?

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1032/527449871_f76ede8c79.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/76977438%40N00/527449871&h=375&w=500&sz=190&tbnid=tH961pdadAQs5M:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhorse%2Bchestnut%2Bscale%2Binsect%2Bpicture&hl=en&usg=__-4xAkleI6Fa3biHt3vMSCE5gZd8=&sa=X&ei=F3AaTNnpI8SX4gaEla3YCg&ved=0CCMQ9QEwBA

Horse chestnut scale insects.  Pulvinaria regalis

Sure that was on here the other week, I had them on a firethorn. Provado, got them ! 

[willowman]

Hi, they look pretty close, very similar. Why Horse Chestnut insects on my b/currant, especially as the bush is in a fruit cage, and there are no H C trees in the vicinity?

They don't look very nice, do they?

[spottymint]

Hi

Why my firethorn ? Nowhere near a H Chesnut, nearest one was cut down last year.
Maybe, that made them homelesss ?   

They are horrid, one site I read, said- the white wolley bit is an egg sac !!! 

[willowman]

Definitely horse chestnut scale insect.

Have looked it up on several sites and the only control method mentioned is, indeed, Provado. So I'm off down the garden centre today.

Thanks everyone.

[cliff]

i had this on my blackcurrents also thought they were caterpillas??? sprayed them with a mild washing up liquid spray for a week and all gone.