Pear sucker: control measures

Pear sucker or psyllid is a common pest of fruit crops. Its natural habitat is Europe and Asia. Insects accidentally introduced to North America quickly took root and spread throughout the continent. In private and farm gardens, pear blight is one of the causes of tree damage and crop loss.

Description of pear sucker

An ordinary pear psyllid or pear sucker is a small insect with developed wings that can jump from plant to plant. Females are extremely fertile, wintering under old bark and fallen leaves. During the growing season, 4-5 generations of sucker have time to develop.

The color of the adult psyllid (imago) varies from orange-red in summer to black in winter. The chest is covered with whitish longitudinal stripes, the transparent wings folding along the body are painted with dark veins. The length of a mature insect is 2,5-3 mm. The oral apparatus is of a sucking type.

A photo of a pear sucker will help to get an idea of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe pest.

The eggs are whitish at first, then orange, have the shape of an elongated oval and are 0,3 mm long. Each female lays from 400 to 1200 pieces.

The greatest danger to plants is the nymphs of the pear sucker, which are the last stage of larval development. They go through 5 phases of maturation until they turn into an adult, ready to breed, insect. During this time, the size of the nymph of the pear sucker increases from 0,36 to 1,9 mm, the color changes from yellowish to red-brown.

Development cycle

Adults, painted black, individuals of both sexes pear sucker hibernate in cracks in the bark and under crumbling leaves. At an average temperature of -2-3 ° C per day, they begin their vital activity and leave the shelter. In the southern regions, this can happen in February, in the north – no later than the end of March.

At a temperature of +5 ° C, mating begins, the pear sucker makes its first clutch when the air warms up to +10 ° C. The body of the next generations of the pest is painted in orange-red and red tones. The first clutch is usually located at the base of the buds, the next – in the form of a chain on pedicels and on both sides of the leaves.

The higher the air temperature, the faster the development of the pest. If at 10 ° C nymphs from eggs are shown after 23 days, then at 22,6 ° C the interval is reduced to 6 days.

The nymph passing through 5 phases of development after each molt looks different:

1. Orange insect 0,36-0,54 mm long with dark spots on the back.
2. The color of the nymph of the pear sucker brightens, and the size increases to 0,55-0,72 mm.
3. The insect becomes gray-yellow, 0,75 mm to 1 mm long.
4. The size of the nymph reaches 1,1-1,35 mm, the color changes to green-yellow. The wing cases become noticeable and overlap each other a little.
5. The nymph looks more and more like an adult pear sucker. Its size increases to 1,56-1,9 mm, the coloration becomes brownish-green, and the wing cases completely overlap.

During the vegetative period, 4-5 generations of pear sucker appear, which multiply rapidly.

What is dangerous insect

Reproduction and development of pear sucker occur only on young, actively vegetating parts of the plant. Adult insects (imagoes) damage greens when feeding, but nymphs cause the main damage.

Pest nymphs suck the juice from young greens, and the excess is excreted in the form of a sticky substance called honeydew. With a large accumulation of psyllids, the results of their vital activity envelop the vegetative organs of the pear, and the liquid can even drip onto the ground.

Affected leaves and shoots become infected with soot fungus, dry out, and this, in turn, causes the entire tree to weaken and be damaged in winter. Flower buds populated with pear sucker dry and fall off. The same fruits that managed to start grow small, deformed, the flesh becomes woody, tasteless.

Honeydew blocks the stomata on the leaves, which in itself inhibits the pear, prevents photosynthesis and plant nutrition. This opens the way for the development of various infections, and sticky secretions attract other pests.

Severe damage to a pear by a sucker can affect the next year’s harvest. The defeat of 25% of the leaves is the threshold beyond which economic losses begin.

Measures to combat pear sucker

It is difficult to fight the psyllid, as it comes out of winter at low temperatures, lays eggs early, and adults jump from tree to tree and can fly. The most effective means of destruction are chemical, which is not to the liking of supporters of organic farming. Pesticides of biological origin showed good results.

Chemicals

Pear sucker is destroyed by pesticides, which include organophosphorus compounds, mineral oils and other active substances of contact and intestinal action. The greatest efficiency is achieved by alternating them.

Before bud break and along the green cone, spraying with preparations is carried out to destroy the pear sucker:

• Preparation 30 Plus;
• Prevention.

The first treatment is done as soon as the temperature during the day reaches + 4 ° C. To check if the pests have already woken up, you need to spread white agrofiber or other fabric under the tree, knock on the branches with a stick. The black psyllid that emerged from wintering will be clearly visible on light material.

During the growing season, pears are sprayed with drugs:

• Aktara;
• Fufanon;
• Preparation 30 Plus;
• Iskra M.

Pesticides should be alternated, changing the active substance or using biological pesticides, since the pear sucker develops immunity to them.

Biological agents

Neonicotinoids are organic insecticides that in large doses cause death in pests as a result of paralysis. They are good because they are highly toxic to insects, and have a moderate effect on vertebrates. The simplest and most affordable drug in this group is tobacco dust, it is infused and used according to the instructions.

The forest bug Anthocoris nemoralis is used to control the pear sucker, which can help in the destruction of other pests, and is sold in 500 ml bottles. Among the useful insects for the garden, it should be noted:

• ladybugs;
• golden eye
• fire bugs;
• muh-sirfid (jurchalok);
• shingles;
• spiders.

Folk methods

Folk methods to cope with pear sucker is possible only if insect infestation is detected in the early stages, and measures for their destruction were taken immediately. Many pests need to be controlled with pesticides.

Infusions and decoctions of herbs are ineffective, but you can use:

• dandelion;
• delphinium;
• yarrow.

Sometimes you can hear advice to treat pear trees with a solution of silicate glue. You can’t do this – perhaps liquid glass will destroy insects, but it will clog all the stomata on the leaves, which will cause the greens to die faster than from pests.

Preventive measures

Those who do not want to use strong remedies can be advised to regularly inspect trees for pests and not neglect sanitary measures. To prevent the appearance of suckers on pears, you should:

• carry out preventive spraying of trees in spring and autumn;
• remove plant residues at the end of the season;
• in the fall, dig up the near-trunk circle;
• clean from the old bark and whitewash the stems of trees;
• attract beneficial insects and birds to the garden.

Conclusion

Pear sucker is a dangerous pest that wakes up early, flying, prolific. It is impossible to prevent its appearance in the garden. It is important to detect the psyllid in time and take measures to destroy it.