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Thrips on cucumbers appear quite often, especially in a greenhouse, where there are all favorable conditions for their life and reproduction. This leads to a decrease in yield, and in the absence of timely control measures, to the death of plants. Therefore, it is important that every gardener be able to recognize the defeat at the initial stage. The sooner the pest is identified, the less damage it will cause to cucumbers. Otherwise, it will spread to other crops, which will lead to more significant losses.
On cucumbers you can find tobacco and greenhouse thrips
Description of the pest
Thrips (Thysanoptera) are small flying insects from the order Fringed-winged. They have an elongated body, the length of which is 1-3 mm. The color of the pest is brown, black, gray, depending on the variety. The mouth apparatus of thrips is of a piercing-sucking type.
Insects have three pairs of legs. There are no claws on them, but there are teeth and suckers, which makes it possible to hold on to the back of the leaves of cucumbers and other crops. Adults are able to fly short distances. The wings of thrips are narrow, covered with a fringe of cilia.
Females are larger than males. They are highly prolific. Every 7-10 days, a thrips colony can double in size under favorable conditions.
Causes of appearance
These pests overwinter in the top layer of soil, plant debris. And if since autumn no measures have been taken to destroy them, then next season they will definitely appear.
Thrips can be brought into the garden or greenhouse with poor-quality humus, mulch, or with newly acquired seedlings of other crops.
Provoking factors contributing to their mass reproduction:
- close placement of plants that are susceptible to attack by thrips;
- lack of dressings that help increase the immunity of cucumbers;
- density of landings.
What do cucumbers affected by thrips look like?
The danger of thrips is that they are difficult to detect at the initial stage of the lesion. After all, they live on the reverse side of the leaves, and only with mass reproduction do obvious signs of their vital activity appear. The photo shows how the leaves of cucumber seedlings affected by thrips look like.
When affected by thrips, metabolic processes in the leaves and shoots of cucumbers are disrupted.
Characteristic signs indicating the appearance of a pest:
- small light dots, stripes on the plates, which subsequently increase noticeably in size;
- premature leaf fall;
- sugary secretions on the plant;
- deformation of buds, tops of lashes;
- slow development;
- shedding of the ovary;
- distressed appearance.
What harm can
Adults and larvae of the pest feed on plant cell sap. This leads to a weakening of their vitality. As a result, the development of cucumbers initially slows down, and subsequently stops. This leads to drying of the ovary and fruit.
Thrips are also dangerous because they are carriers of viral diseases that cannot be treated. In the event of the appearance of characteristic signs, the affected cucumbers must be destroyed.
How to get rid of thrips on cucumbers
Comprehensive measures should be taken to combat greenhouse and tobacco thrips on cucumbers. They include chemical, biological preparations and traps. Only in this case it is possible to get rid of the pest and prevent its mass distribution.
Chemical preparations for thrips on cucumbers
Knowing what thrips look like on cucumbers in a greenhouse and in open ground, you can start fighting them in a timely manner. The use of special chemicals in this case helps to quickly reduce the number of pests. But the destructive effect of the funds applies only to adults and larvae. After all, the poison does not penetrate the shell of the eggs. In view of this, chemical preparations should be used several times with a frequency of seven days. =
Effective preparations for the treatment of seedlings of cucumbers from thrips:
- Aktellik;
Actellik has a contact-intestinal and fumigation effect
- Vertimek;
Vertimec inhibits the activity of larvae two hours after application
- Spark;
Spark provides protection for three weeks
- Inta-Vir.
Inta-Vir is effective not only against thrips, but also against all types of aphids, whiteflies
Biological agents
Due to the rapid fruiting of cucumbers, it is not always possible to use chemicals to treat them from thrips. After all, they have a long waiting period before harvest. In this case, it is recommended to give preference to biological products.
The most effective of them:
- Guapsin. This biological product combines insecticidal and fungicidal properties. Guapsin begins to work 36-48 hours after treatment. The duration of the protective action is seven days. Dilute with water in a ratio of 1:40.
Guapsine can be combined with many drugs in the same tank mix
- Actoeffect. A biological product that has insect-acaricidal properties. It is of natural origin. To treat cucumbers from thrips, you need to add 10 ml of the drug to 1 liter of water and mix. This tool does not pose a danger to the environment and humans, subject to the rules of use.
Act effect cannot be applied during flowering
- Fitoverm. This drug begins to act 2-3 hours after treatment, and causes the death of thrips for 3-5 days. Its active component is a substance that is produced by soil microorganisms. To prepare a working solution, dilute 2 ml of the product in 250 ml of water. This drug is not phytotoxic, safe for bees, fish.
The waiting period after processing cucumbers with Fitoverm is two days
Traps
Special glue traps also help to cope with the invasion of thrips on cucumbers. They should have a yellow or blue tint to attract the attention of pests. To catch thrips, it is enough to install one trap for every 8-10 square meters. m. But it should be understood that this method of struggle helps to get rid of adult flying individuals. And the larvae and eggs are immune to it.
How to deal with thrips on cucumbers with folk remedies
When thrips appear on cucumber seedlings, treatment can also be carried out with folk remedies. They give good results with a small number of pests. They are also recommended for the prevention of infection.
Ammonia
To treat cucumbers from thrips, you can use ammonia, the smell of which repels pests. To do this, dilute the product with water in a ratio of 1:20. Spray the cucumber leaves with the solution, wetting them evenly. Repeat the procedure every 10-14 days.
Tar soap
To combat thrips, rub 100 g of tar soap and add 1,5 liters of hot water. Then the mixture should be thoroughly stirred until a homogeneous composition. Before use, the resulting concentrate should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2 and sprayed with cucumbers.
It is recommended to repeat the treatment every ten days throughout the growing season of the crop.
Other
Less common folk remedies can also be used to protect cucumbers from thrips. However, they are not inferior in effectiveness to ammonia and tar soap.
Other folk remedies against thrips on cucumbers:
- Tobacco dust. To prepare a working solution, pour 100 g of this component into 1 liter of water and boil the mixture over low heat for half an hour. Then the remedy must be insisted for a day. Before use, it should be filtered and diluted with water 1: 2.
- Garlic. Grind ten cloves of vegetable to a mushy consistency. Pour a mixture of 2 liters of water and leave for a day. Then strain and spray the leaves on the reverse side. Repeat the procedure every ten days
- Chamomile flowers. Pour 100 g of plant collection into 1 liter of water. Leave the remedy for 12 hours. Before use, strain and add a little green soap. Spray cucumbers regularly with a frequency of seven days with the resulting product.
- Celandine. To combat thrips, the flowers of this plant are needed. To prepare an effective remedy, 400 g of fresh raw materials or 100 g of dried collection should be poured into 1 liter of water and insisted for a day. After the time has elapsed, strain the product and dilute with water 1: 2. Use it to spray cucumbers every week throughout the growing season.
Folk remedies have a contact effect and are washed off by rain
Preventive measures
To prevent the appearance of thrips on cucumbers and other crops, certain preventive measures must be followed. They cannot completely eliminate defeat, but they reduce such a possibility to a minimum.
Basic preventive measures:
- removal and burning of plant residues;
- deep digging of the site in the fall;
- timely weeding and top dressing;
- seed treatment before sowing;
- watering the soil with insecticides in the spring before planting seedlings;
- compliance with crop rotation.
Conclusion
Thrips on cucumbers can appear at any time. To prevent their mass distribution, you need to regularly inspect the seedlings and respond at the first suspicious signs. Otherwise, this pest can nullify all the efforts of the gardener.
