Contents
- How dangerous is the appearance of aphids on raspberries
- Ways to deal with aphids on raspberries
- How to process aphids on raspberries with folk remedies
- Processing raspberries from aphids with fungicides
- Protecting raspberries from aphids in different seasons
- Raspberry varieties with high resistance
- Preventive measures
- Conclusion
Aphids are one of the most common pests of horticultural and horticultural crops. Withstanding low temperatures, the insect easily survives in winter. With the onset of heat, the aphid quickly breeds and infects all parts of the plants. You can fight aphids on raspberries with the help of drugs and folk methods.
How dangerous is the appearance of aphids on raspberries
In nature, there are about 5000 species of aphids. Some of them are tied to one type of plant, others can feed on any plant sap. Winged and wingless aphids easily mix along the stems, quickly spreading on plantings of cultivated plants. The device of the mouth allows the insect to easily pierce the leaf plates and stems of young plants. Aphids and raspberry juice do not shun. The pest enters the site from infected plants or neighboring territories. Ants are also suppliers of aphids to the garden. They feed on the milk of insects, arranging entire farms of small pests.
Aphids leave a sweet sticky coating (milk) on the bushes. This substance attracts other pests that are not averse to feasting on the juice and tissues of the plant.
Aphids are very dangerous for raspberries. Pest colonies destroy not only the berry crop, but also young shoots. Aphids can also cause infection of raspberry bushes with fungal diseases. If the plantings are not treated in a timely manner with special means, then you can say goodbye to the harvest.
Raspberries are most often affected by two types of aphids – shoot and leaf.
It is worth treating bushes against aphids when the first signs of their work appear.
- The leaves curl up and dry out.
- Flowers do not open fully and fall off.
- Fresh shoots lose their growth and gradually dry out.
- The berries are deformed and fall off.
In order for the berry crop not to suffer, pest control should be started as early as possible.
Ways to deal with aphids on raspberries
The choice of methods for controlling aphids on raspberry bushes depends on the time of year, the phase of plant development and the number of pests.
Bushes are treated with chemicals from aphids before flowering and after picking berries. Most folk methods can be used to control insects all year round.
It is necessary to follow the principles of agricultural technology of the berry bush to protect against aphids and other pests.
Often, for the protection of plants, biologically active preparations are used that contain bacteria and fungi hostile to insects.
Adherents of organic farming and safe pest control for horticultural and vegetable crops recommend planting repellant plants around the raspberries.
How to process aphids on raspberries with folk remedies
The choice of folk remedies to process the berry from aphids is quite wide. The main advantage of such methods is the relative safety for humans and the environment. But the effectiveness of folk methods of treatment against aphids is not too high.
garlic water
To prepare an infusion of garlic, you can use the arrows that are removed when growing this burning-aromatic culture or mature heads. To prepare a liter of solution, 200 – 250 g of raw materials will be required. Garlic must be crushed with a meat grinder or blender to the state of gruel and pour water. After insist about 3 days.
Strain the resulting infusion and dilute with an equal volume of water. Spray the leaves and shoots of raspberries from aphids.
Hot pepper
To treat raspberries from aphids, you can use hot pepper pods or its powder. For a liter of infusion, you need 1 ripe pod or a teaspoon of Red Pepper seasoning. There are two ways to prepare a folk remedy to process aphids on raspberries.
- Grind the pod, pour boiling water and soak on low heat for about half an hour. Leave to infuse until completely cooled.
- Pour red pepper powder with a glass of hot water and insist for an hour, wrapping the container with a warm towel.
For spraying against aphids, dilute the resulting infusion in a ratio of 1 to 10. Apply to shoots, leaves and peduncles.
Onion infusion
Mash half a kilogram of unpeeled onion and pour warm water (5 l). Insist in a warm place during the day. Strain the infusion and squeeze the onion porridge.
To spray raspberries from aphids, dilute the product with an equal volume of water.
Tobacco dust
In hardware stores, the product is sold ready for use. You can fight aphids on raspberries with a dry preparation or infusion.
- Prepare a bag from gauze in several layers. Pour tobacco dust and pollinate raspberry bushes with light taps.
- The infusion is prepared from 500 g of dust per 5 liters of hot water for two days. Dilute the product with water and spray the raspberry bushes.
Infusion of tops of tomatoes
Stepsons of tomatoes are used by gardeners to prepare aphids on raspberries and other crops. Green mass (2 – 3 kg) is poured with hot water (10 l) and insisted for several days in a warm greenhouse. The tool can be boiled. In this case, the cooking process is accelerated. A sign of the readiness of the infusion is the appearance of foam. The liquid must be drained and diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 2.
In a similar way, an infusion of potato tops is prepared. It is known that the greens of nightshade crops contain a small amount of toxic substances that aphids do not tolerate.
Laundry soap
To combat aphids on raspberries and other crops, laundry soap without fragrances is used. Grind a bar of soap and dilute in a bucket of water. The resulting alkaline solution is not addictive in pests. You can use it an unlimited number of times for processing
Soap is also used to improve the effectiveness of home remedies against aphids. It has good adhesion. If a small bar of soap is added to any home remedy for fighting aphids on raspberries, then even rain will not wash away substances poisonous to the pest from the plant.
Rules for processing raspberries with folk remedies
The natural composition of home remedies for the fight against aphids does not mean that they are completely safe. Hot pepper, if it gets into the eyes or mucous membranes, can cause a burn. And the preparation of a solution from the tops of tomatoes and potatoes can lead to an allergic reaction. Therefore, even using such simple components, protective equipment should not be neglected.
Plants need to be processed in dry weather. Ingredients of home remedies against aphids do not penetrate the cells of the plant. They are easily washed off by rain. It is advisable to choose the time in the morning to protect raspberries from aphids, when the sun dries the grass from dew. The processing efficiency is also reduced in strong winds.
To protect raspberries from aphids with folk remedies, you need to process the bushes every week.
Processing raspberries from aphids with fungicides
Gardeners make the mistake of treating plants with fungicidal preparations. These products are suitable for protecting plants from diseases. To destroy aphids on raspberries and other horticultural crops, experts recommend treating the garden with insecticides.
To get rid of aphids for a long time, but at the same time maintain the yield of raspberry bushes, you should remember:
- Raspberries are pollinated by bees. Bushes cannot be treated with pesticides during flowering, as they are also dangerous for beneficial insects.
- The most effective against aphids on raspberries are systemic preparations. They penetrate the cells of the plant, destroying insects almost instantly.
- It is necessary to process the shrub in dry calm weather, even if the instructions for the preparation do not contain this information.
- Aphids are highly resistant to the action of toxic components. To effectively deal with aphids on raspberries, it is not recommended to use preparations with an identical composition several times.
Iskra
Domestic insecticide is available in several versions.
- Iskra M — in the form of a concentrated emulsion, contains malathion. A contact-intestinal insecticide with a pungent odor destroys aphids within a few hours. A 10 ml ampoule is diluted in 10 liters of water and the plants are sprayed with a fresh solution. It is impossible to treat the culture with the preparation during the period of flowering and fruiting.
- golden spark – available in several types. To process raspberries, apply liquid and insecticide powder. The nicotinoid imidacloprid is used as an aphid paralyzing agent. Its components are not dangerous for humans and the environment. The insecticide remains in plant parts for up to a month. It is recommended to process raspberries no later than the flowering period.
- Spark Double effect – made on the basis of natural pyrethrins, which contain flowers of the Astrov family. Raspberries can be treated with the drug at any time, except for the fruiting period. Substances do not penetrate the plant and do not accumulate in it.
- Spark Bio – the safest drug from the line of insecticides. It is based on Avertin. According to the instructions, plants can be treated with a biological preparation during flowering and berry picking. The drugs Fitoverm, Strela, Jaguar, Aktofit have a similar effect. The biological structure of the products is safe for humans, warm-blooded animals and bees. Components decompose under the influence of natural processes.
Confidor
The systemic insecticide contains imidacloprid. According to studies, the components of the drug penetrate exclusively into the leaves, without affecting the fruits and berries. This property allows you to process raspberry bushes throughout the growing season.
The preparations Monsoon, Imidor, Biotlin have a similar composition. Insecticides based on neonicotinoids can be used to treat raspberry bushes against aphids not only by spraying, but also when watering plants.
Protecting raspberries from aphids in different seasons
When choosing means and methods for protecting raspberries from aphids, it is necessary to take into account the seasonality and degree of infestation of plants.
Processing raspberries in the spring from aphids
From early spring until the formation of flower buds, raspberries can be treated by any means to combat aphids. Systemic and contact insecticides with a long period of action will destroy the pest and have time to decompose before flowering begins.
What to do if aphids on raspberries during flowering
Most insecticides are universal. They equally affect harmful and beneficial insects. Therefore, it is not worth processing bee-pollinated raspberries with them. To protect flowering raspberries, it is recommended to use biological preparations with a short term of protection or folk remedies.
Fight against aphids during the fruiting period
If aphids on raspberries appeared during the period when the berries ripen, then the choice of funds will have to be approached carefully. Even mild insecticides can cause poisoning or an allergic reaction in humans.
You can process raspberries from aphids in folk ways. Gardeners spray the bushes with a decoction of chamomile. The flowers of the plant contain perithroids, which negatively affect the nervous system of aphids and other pests.
To prepare a decoction, you can collect chamomile inflorescences or buy a dry preparation at a pharmacy. For a liter of decoction, 3 tablespoons of dry inflorescences are needed. The grass poured with boiling water must be kept in a water bath for about 15 minutes. After strain, dilute with water to a volume of 3 liters and process all parts of the raspberry bush. The procedure can be repeated once a week if necessary.
Raspberry varieties with high resistance
The body structure of aphids does not allow the pest to settle on plants with pubescent leaves. Thanks to the efforts of breeders, varieties have been created that are not attacked by a voracious pest.
Moroseika
The raspberry variety bred by Professor Kichin has been known to gardeners since the mid-70s of the last century. The shoots of the plant are covered with a wax coating, which protects against aphids and fungus.
Beauty of Our Country
Based on the Maroseyka and Mirage varieties, Professor Kichin developed a new raspberry variety with improved qualities. The fruitful large-fruited Beauty of Our Country with fragrant berries has an increased resistance to the effects of aphids and fungal diseases.
Tarusa
The standard variety is considered the progenitor of a new direction in breeding. Tarusa is called the raspberry tree because of the thick, upright shoots. The plant is resistant to fungal diseases and is not affected by aphids.
Preventive measures
To avoid the appearance of a pest on raspberry plantings, it is necessary to follow the rules of agricultural technology:
- Plant bushes at a distance recommended for a particular variety.
- Take care of the health of the berry bush.
- Weed the site in a timely manner to prevent the relocation of aphids from weeds to raspberry bushes.
- Plant repellents around the raspberries (chamomile, wormwood, garlic).
- Regularly carry out sanitary pruning of old and damaged shoots.
- Clean the area from fallen leaves, under which pests hibernate.
- Treat anthills with insecticides for destruction.
The gardener has enough helpers in the fight against aphids. If you make birdhouses and feeders on the site, then grateful birds will relieve some of the problems with pests of horticultural crops. Aphids also have natural enemies. These are ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies.
Conclusion
Raspberry aphids have to be dealt with quite often. This is a very persistent pest that does not bypass any garden plot. Insect control products on the market can be in a rich assortment. When choosing insecticides for aphids, it is important to pay attention to the composition. Manufacturers often put drugs on the market with different names, but exactly the same components.