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Onion pests cause no less damage to plantings than fungal and viral diseases. Insects can be controlled, but it is important to notice the symptoms of infestation in the early stages.
Signs of pest damage
Recognizing pests on onions can be difficult, since the feathers of the culture are thin, and the heads are more than half hidden underground. Adult insects and larvae are often not visible to the naked eye. But indirect signs help to find out about their presence:
- premature yellowing and wilting of feathers;
- the appearance of dark spots and holes on green leaves;
- slowing down the growth of onions;
- yield reduction;
- the occurrence of plaque on feathers and bulbs.
A ripe crop damaged by insects does not please with good quality. Onion heads are small, rotten or dry. Clusters of larvae and adult insects can often be seen on the bottom and roots.
Onion pests and their control
Onions suffer from pests less often than other garden crops, because they contain phytoncides – substances that repel insects. However, some parasites still pose a danger to him.
Lukovaâ flies
The main pest of the crop is the onion fly, which differs from the usual light ash color. The parasite lays its eggs in the beds and directly in the irregularities on the surface of the set. After hatching, the larvae begin to feed on the bulbs and gnaw through numerous passages in them.
You can recognize the fly by the withering of green feathers and the slowdown in plant development. A characteristic sign is the appearance of an unpleasant odor – it indicates the decay of the bulbs. If you carefully examine the plantings, then under the upper scales of the turnips you can find white larvae.
Onion fly begins to harm plantings in late spring
There are several ways to get rid of onion flies. In particular, apply:
- dusting with tobacco dust;
- spraying with ammonia diluted in a volume of 45 ml per bucket of water;
- treatment with drugs Aktara, Diazinon and similar.
A good prevention of onion flies is the autumn digging of the soil. Sevok before planting should be treated with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate to strengthen immunity.
TRIPS
Onion thrips outwardly resembles a small mosquito with a narrow light yellow or brownish body and fringed wings. Adult pests and whitish or greenish larvae feed on the cell sap of the pulp and feathers of the plant. You can learn about the appearance of thrips by light and brownish spots on the bulbs and by the yellowing of the tips of the leaves.
Thrips overwinter in plant debris, so in the fall, all garbage in the beds must be removed and burned.
Pest control is carried out with the help of drugs Aktara, Fufanon and Aktellik. The funds are diluted according to the instructions and the plantings are sprayed several times per season, but no later than a month before harvesting. You can also use tobacco solution and infusion of celandine. So that the insect does not harm the already harvested crop, the basement or attic must be fumigated with a sulfur checker.
Root onion mite
Onion mite damages plantings in wet and hot weather. It is especially difficult to notice it – the insect lives underground, has a whitish color, and does not exceed 1 mm in size. But characteristic symptoms allow suspecting the presence of a tick on onions. Feathers are deformed and covered with a white coating, and turnips lose moisture, wrinkle, become loose and rotten. Yellow spots or moldy areas form on the scales.
The fight against onion mites is carried out with the help of insecticidal and acaricidal agents – Aktara, Iskra and Aktellik. You can also use nettle infusion – 100 g of leaves are brewed in 500 ml of boiling water and left for five days, and then diluted with 5 liters of water and watered the beds. To prevent the appearance of a pest, sets or seeds are heated before planting.
Bulbs with signs of mite damage should not be stored – they must be thrown away immediately
Rouchalka
The onion hoverfly, or small narcissus fly, has a bronze or greenish shell and reaches 7 mm in length. The pest affects mainly underground turnips with cracks and wounds, often attacks plantings that have already been damaged by other insects. The parasite slows down the normal development of the onion, leading to yellowing and wilting of the feathers from the top to the base. Underground heads of culture soften and begin to rot, an unpleasant odor often comes from the beds.
Onion hoverfly begins to harm plantings in June
If the hoverfly is damaged, the affected bulbs must be removed from the soil and destroyed. The remaining plantings are shed with a saline solution prepared at the rate of 200 g of powder per 10 liters of water. The first treatment is carried out when the feathers grow up to 5 cm, the second is carried out after three weeks.
stem nematode
A dangerous onion pest is a nematode. The insect infects the crop in late summer shortly before harvest. First, white translucent worms feed on the succulent feathers of the plant, and then descend to the bulbs and begin to absorb the pulp.
You can recognize the stem nematode by leaf deformation and white bloom. When affected by a pest, the feathers of the plant quickly turn yellow and dry out. It is almost impossible to effectively deal with the nematode, since by the time alarming symptoms appear, the parasite has time to cause serious damage to underground bulbs. The heads of the vegetable rot and emit an unpleasant odor; when removed from the soil, numerous white worms can be seen on them.
Treating the soil with a solution of ammonia before planting onions helps prevent the stem nematode.
Pest control must be preventive. Onions are heated and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate before planting. The earth in the garden is carefully dug up, fertilized with peat and sand, and deoxidized with lime. In one place, onions are grown for no longer than one year, and they are returned to their original site only after four years.
Onion weevil
The weevil has a small dark gray body up to 2,7 mm and a long curved proboscis. Insect larvae look like light caterpillars with dark heads up to 6,5 mm long.
The parasite feeds on the juice of onions, begins to harm plantings in the spring immediately with the onset of heat. Adult insects eat plant debris in the beds and lay their eggs inside the green feathers. The hatched larvae of the pest make holes in the young leaves of the onion and lead to the appearance of white or light yellow spots.
The best prevention of weevil is the annual autumn cleaning of the beds and careful digging.
Weevil control is carried out by standard methods. In case of severe damage to the plantings, the bulbs affected by the pest are simply destroyed. The remaining specimens are treated with Aktara and Aktellik 3-4 times per season in accordance with the instructions. It is impossible to eat green onion feathers.
Moth onion
The adult insect is a small brown butterfly, and the larvae look like yellow-green caterpillars. The pest feeds on both feathers and underground onion heads; in June, it lays eggs on the outer part of the leaves and on the surface of the turnip.
You can notice the moth with a careful examination of the landings. The appearance of the pest is reported by the yellowing of the tips of the feathers and the appearance of holes in the greenery. In the absence of a struggle, the moth is able to completely eat away the aerial parts of the onion from the inside.
You can destroy the larvae and adult parasites with a solution of ammonia or with Iskra and Metaphos. Processing is carried out up to four times per season, since the moth gives 2-3 generations from spring to the end of summer.
Adult onion moths are well repelled by dusting the beds with wood ash and tobacco
Onion rattle
The crackling, or fire beetle, appears in the garden in the middle of summer. Recognizing the pest of onion testes and its feathers is quite simple – an adult insect has a bright red shell and is clearly visible against the background of greenery. Holes on yellowed leaves also report the presence of the parasite.
The rattle beetle is called a firefighter because of the characteristic high-pitched sound that it makes when in danger.
A good pest control measure on onions is hand picking, as the insect is clearly visible in the beds. Insecticides help get rid of the larvae – Decis, Mospilan, Karate.
Scoop onion
Butterfly scoop is a small moth with gray-brown wings, on which whitish stripes are visible. Onions are threatened by insect larvae – green or pinkish caterpillars that eat feathers and gnaw out the pulp of underground turnips. The appearance of the pest is indicated by the drying of the greens, the heads of the vegetable become unsuitable for human consumption.
An adult scoop flies mainly at night, so it is difficult to notice the pest in time in the garden
To eliminate the scoop, Aktara, Tsitkor and Fufanon are used. Careful loosening of the soil helps prevent infection of the beds. In this case, the insect eggs end up on the surface and cannot develop normally, and the hatched larvae quickly become food for birds.
aphid
The green or gray aphid often infects feather onions and appears on the plant in May or early June. In the absence of a struggle, it attacks plantings in large colonies and tightly sticks around the aerial parts of the culture. It is easy to see the parasite upon close examination, and the deformation of the leaves also indicates its presence, they twist and bend.
Aphids not only harm onions directly, but also carry dangerous viral diseases.
The fight against the parasite is carried out by dusting with wood ash, a solution of laundry soap brings a good effect. To scare away the pest in the garden, you can plant marigolds, garlic and white mustard. The insect does not like these cultures and rarely appears in close proximity to them.
Measures to prevent onions from diseases and pests
Protecting plantings prophylactically is much easier than dealing with pests on onions, especially considering that treatment often does not work. When growing a crop, you must:
- follow the rules of crop rotation and plant onions in the beds after carrots, legumes and grains, potatoes and cabbage;
- with the onset of autumn, dig up the soil and completely burn the remains of feathers, scales and other plant debris;
- carefully loosen the soil in the spring before planting onions;
- disinfect seeds and sevok in a solution of potassium permanganate or saline infusion;
- plant onions in late April or early May before the activation of pests in the garden.
During the cultivation of the crop, the beds also need to be regularly weeded and loosened. Such procedures not only interfere with the reproduction of insects, but also help improve the quality of the soil, prevent its acidification and waterlogging.
Conclusion
Onion pests can greatly reduce crop volumes or lead to its complete death. Home remedies and insecticides are used to control insects, but the focus should be on preventive measures.
