Aphids - A Thunderstorm Of Flower Beds And Gardens

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

The peak of aphid activity on personal plots is in June and jeopardizes the harvest of greenhouses, orchards and vegetable gardens. Florists are also looking for an answer to the question of how to get rid of these sucking parasites. We offer information on how to deal with aphids in ways that are harmless to plants and humans, as well as details about the life of these pests

What are aphids?

About 4 thousand varieties of aphids have been studied, more than a thousand of them live in Russia. These insects are dangerous for gardens, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, as feeding on the juices of cultivated plants greatly weaken them, in addition, they spread viruses, lead to various destructive anomalies and gall-like formations.

In appearance, aphids are quite diverse: wingless, winged, white, green, gray, black. Subspecies differ in breeding methods: egg deposition, live birth.

Life cycle of aphids

The unique breeding process of aphids can hardly be compared with any other insect species. The basis for the stimulus for the appearance of a new generation of species is the availability of nutrition. The most favorable conditions are young shoots, only wingless females-fruiting plants reproduce on them, each one gives three generations per month - these are hundreds of thousands of their own kind.

The stiffening of the shoots creates a meager nutrient medium - the colony of aphids prepares to leave the host plant, the birth of winged females begins, which migrate to more "edible" plants. And there are several such migrations per season. In autumn, winged males and founding females appear, which return to their original place to lay eggs. Such adaptability to conditions, survival, monstrously progressive reproduction makes the scanty insects a great threat to cultivated plants.

I would like to say about the symbiosis of aphids with ants, which contribute to the spread and increase in the number of aphids. Ants feed on secretions - sweet honeydew, therefore they protect and settle aphids. The enemies of aphids are lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies and others.

Aphid activity

Aphids sitting almost motionless on the back of leaves and drinking sap inflict enormous damage on orchards and vegetable gardens. The leaf first curls up, and then dies off altogether. Large populations of these pests can completely destroy the plant that has come to taste. Trees and bushes survive, but their growth stops, and vegetable crops, losing leaves, die.

Ways to combat aphids

We propose to consider effective options for combating aphids without the use of chemicals.

ladybugs

Ladybugs are a common method among farmers and amateur gardeners. They are launched into greenhouses, and they fulfill their mission perfectly. One aphid ladybird destroys about 100 adults per day. The seven-spotted ladybird actively copes with pests living on peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other melons - it saves cultivated plants and preserves the harvest.

To attract ladybirds, gardeners plant honey-bearing flowers, dill, mustard, phacelia, etc.

Herbal infusions

• Freshly harvested dandelion is finely chopped until smooth or rolled in a meat grinder (400 g leaves + 200 g rhizomes). After that, it is infused for 2 hours in a bucket of warm water.

• Onion husks (200 g) are placed in a bucket and poured to the top with boiling water, covered with a lid and kept for 5 days.

• The tops of tomatoes or potatoes (1, 2 kg) should be chopped into a bucket and poured over to infuse for 3 hours.

• The bucket is filled with celandine (by a quarter), filled with cold water. Insist - a day, then strain.

• Ground pepper, preferably red, is brewed in proportions of 50 g per 1 liter. Aged until completely cooled. Before processing the plants, the resulting concentrate is poured into a 10 liter bucket.

The described recipes for infusions are quite effective and environmentally friendly. Straining and binding is required before use for good adhesion to leaf surfaces. Usually, grated laundry soap-shavings are added at the rate of 40 g per liter. You can use a concentrate of liquid hand soap, a teaspoon is enough.

Spraying rules involve carrying out activities in dry weather. If the work takes place in the morning, then you need to make sure that there is no dew. It is important to water the plant so that the leaves are moistened on all sides. Re-spraying is usually required at weekly intervals.