Strawberry Pests. Part 3

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Photo: Zhang Xiangyang / Rusmediabank.ru

In this article, we will continue to discuss pests and remedies.

Getting Started - Part 1 and Part 2.

May beetle can cause very significant harm to strawberries. The length of this beetle can reach three centimeters. The body of the May beetle is black, and the elytra are colored reddish-brown. Beetles have been flying since spring, in the southern regions this happens back in April. The beetles will fly from 20 to 40 days, the beetles fly mainly in the evenings, eating at the same time the leaves of the trees. To lay eggs, females climb into the soil to a depth of about thirty centimeters. Beetles avoid dense soils and loose sands. One female is capable of laying up to seventy eggs. After about four to six weeks, the larvae appear, the first year they will feed on humus, and then they begin to harm the plants, feeding on their roots. The larvae develop within three years, sometimes this period is delayed and up to four years. Then the larvae pupate, and after a month or one and a half a beetle will appear, which will spend the winter in the soil. The larvae are colored yellowish-white, and their length is about six centimeters.

As for the ways to combat this pest, strict observance of crop rotation will become a preventive measure. Of the chemical methods, spraying with drugs such as Shar Pei, Zolon, Karate and Actellic should be distinguished. Spraying should be carried out during the active life of the beetle. In the event that you do not use drip irrigation systems, then a drug such as force should be added to the soil.

The raspberry-strawberry weevil is a grayish-black beetle, the length of which does not exceed three millimeters. This pest spreads its negative effect on young leaves, buds and pedicels. This pest poses the greatest danger to early varieties. The weevil hibernates in the soil, and then gnaws at the pedicels on the very first buds, which just can give the largest berries. The females lay one egg in the buds. Pupation occurs in the buds themselves, the contents of which the larvae will feed on. The larva develops in about twenty to twenty-five days. Already a new generation of the pest will feed on young leaves, in which narrow holes appear. The pest can overwinter not only in the soil, but also under plant debris.

The main preventive measure will again be the observance of crop rotation. Chemical measures also coincide with methods of dealing with a previous pest.

Medvedka ordinary is a rather significant danger to strawberries. The habitat of this pest: the banks of various reservoirs, meadows, wet glades and lowlands. Mostly bears will live on humus-gley soils, because this soil is not very susceptible to freezing and there is a sufficient amount of nutrients here. In length, adult bears can reach seven centimeters, they are velvety brown in color with the addition of a silky shade. The wings are transparent, and at rest they look like flagella. The eggs are about three millimeters in diameter. The larva is completely similar to an adult insect, except for the absence of wings. The pest appears on the soil surface late in the evening or already at night. Insects will hibernate in the soil, depending on their age, the depth will differ. In summer cottages, bears can hibernate under humus. Sometimes the female can lay up to 650 eggs. The embryo develops within ten to twelve days. From mid-July to the end of the month, larvae appear en masse. After four weeks, the larvae are able to begin to lead an independent life.

Crop rotation should be observed, and pickled grain-based baits can also be applied to the soil. The drip irrigation system can be supplemented with zolon, aktara or marshall preparations, and in the absence of such a system, force should be added to the soil.

Continuation -

Part 4

Part 5