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Aphid eggs. Aphids on a summer cottage: getting rid of them without chemicals. How to get to the site

Are there red swellings on the leaves of fruit bushes, and are the tops of the shoots curled? How to treat berry bushes and fruit trees when ugly bumps appear on their half-unfolded, half-developed leaves? Will this affect the future harvest? In order not to be tormented by questions and to protect the garden from aphids, it is necessary to begin fighting the pest in early spring and monitor the condition of berry fields and fruit crops throughout the season.

What damage does aphids cause?

Early spring (from mid-April) warming may contribute to the massive appearance of pests.

1. Aphids gather en masse on leaves and green shoots, sucks juices from plants, often severely deforms leaves, shoots and fruits, depresses and weakens plants. As a result, growth, productivity and frost resistance are reduced, and the life expectancy of fruit plants is reduced.
2. Aphids excrete excrement in the form of a sticky liquid that contaminates leaves, branches and fruits. They settle on these secretions saprophytic sooty fungi, which, when multiplying, cover the surface of plants with a solid black coating. Because of this, the breathing and nutrition processes of plants deteriorate.
3. Aphids feast on sweet secretions ants, which gather en masse on aphid colonies and protect pests from predatory beneficial insects: ladybugs, syrphid larvae and lacewings.

Fighting aphids

The fight against aphids must begin in early spring!

1. Spraying to destroy overwintering eggs

At the beginning of bud break on plants, during the phase of mass hatching of larvae, the following is used for treatment:

• Fitoverm(low-hazard biological drug),
• preparations containing nicotine,
• herbal infusions and decoctions ( dandelion, potato tops) with addition soap.

2. Destruction of parts of plants affected by aphids

• cutting and burning damaged shoot tips with aphids in early spring (especially on plum, gooseberries, currants),
• destruction weed on which aphids reproduce;
• root shoots plums And cherries promptly cut out and destroy along with the aphids on it.

3. Treatment with drugs

• In summer, when the leaves are curled, apply systemic insecticidal preparations.
• Plants must not be processed during flowering(only before or after).
• It is not recommended to spray plum, cherry plum, peach And apricot in hot sunny weather at temperatures above +30°C. There may be burns and shedding of leaves.

Fighting gall aphids

There is no reason for great concern

• Gall aphid not that dangerous to resort to radical measures.
• This pest spoils the appearance, but you should not remove the leaves (partially green, which carry out photosynthesis) or uproot the plants.

According to scientific data, gall aphids take away only 10% of the harvest, i.e., they practically do not reduce it. And its invasion, fortunately, does not happen every year.

Fighting shoot aphids

Shoot aphids can be colored in various colors (from black to bluish-green). Shoot aphids are more dangerous than gall aphids.

The most effective way to combat shoot aphids is prevention.

• Bushes and trees should be treated as early as possible, at the beginning of bud break (before the aphids have yet begun to reproduce).
• At the same time, the ants are destroyed.

Measures to combat shoot aphids

If there was no prevention, and shoot aphids appeared, the fight should begin immediately after its detection. It is best to do this when the buds are breaking. The appearance of ants indicates that the aphids have awakened.

1. Immediately handle shoots with a biological product Fitoverm. Or this can be done after flowering: flowering shrubs cannot be processed.
2. Suppress isolated foci of infection, mechanically removing especially strongly curled tops of shoots. But at the same time, the growth and yield of the next year naturally decreases.
3. Dip“twist” infected aphids into solutions of preparations that destroy pests. It is best to use a soap-oil emulsion or biological product Fitoverm.

Fitoverm is considered a universal preparation, but it remains in the plant for some time, as a result of which it is not recommended to treat the bush with it less than 2-3 days before harvesting.

Soap against aphids

You can prepare a soap-oil emulsion yourself:

• mix in equal parts vegetable oil(it’s better to take odorless oil) and soap(or regular dishwashing detergent).
• prepare a 1-2% solution,
• Soap plays the role of a fixative, a “stick” for the resulting solution, which is used to spray the affected plants.

The advantage of a soap-oil emulsion is that it works effectively even at low positive air temperatures, unlike other chemical and biological preparations, which are effective only at temperatures above 15°C.

Insects against aphids

Often, aphids, like other species, are attacked by predatory insects:

• ladybugs,
• hoverfly larvae,
• lacewing larvae.

They destroy aphid colonies even before the appearance of the winged generation of disperser aphids.

Types of aphids

Different types of aphids harm plants, but the essence of the damage and the fight against them are the same.

• In Siberia and regions with temperate climates, the methods of controlling different types of aphids are approximately the same. Aphid species damage mainly in the crown of young plantings.
• In the south, there are more dangerous species: harmful to fruit-bearing plantings, in the crown and on the roots.

Aphids on raspberries

1. Raspberry aphid(small shoot raspberry aphid) settles in colonies on the ends of shoots and leaf petioles. The leaves curl, the shoots become bent and stop growing, and the raspberries do not bear fruit. Particularly harmful in dry years.
2. Large leaf raspberry aphids harm raspberries and blackberries. It lives alone or in small colonies on the underside of leaves, the leaves become discolored, their edges bend down.

Aphids on apple and pear trees

1. On the apple tree and other pome crops, such as pear, quince, hawthorn, rowan, serviceberry, cotoneaster, it is most harmful green apple aphid. It actively develops only on young growing shoots and colonizes shoots in old gardens.
2. Common on Siberian small-fruited apple trees and ranetkas. Siberian apple aphid, causing great harm in early summer. Damaged leaves become deformed, acquire a red-orange color, and stop developing.
3. If the leaf roller aphid is harmful ( pear aphid), then on the pear the leaves curl across the central vein, aphids accumulate in them, shoot growth stops, and they dry out. On heavily populated pear trees, fruit buds do not form, and depleted trees become unstable to frost.

Aphids on plums and cherries

1. Plum pollinated aphid, reed. It is distributed on plums in all fruit growing zones, except plums, and damages cherry plums, apricots, peach, sloe, and almonds.
2. Green peach aphid(greenhouse) is universally harmful in greenhouses on vegetable, industrial and ornamental plants. It reproduces throughout the year, giving birth to live larvae without fertilization. In greenhouses and indoor potted crops, for safety reasons they use soap.
3. Cherry aphid(black) is harmful in all zones and countries where cherries are grown.

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Description of aphids

• Aphid is an insect 2-3 mm long, overwinters in the egg phase (some southern species - in the form of a larva).
• The eggs overwinter on branches and shoots at the base of the buds.
• During the period of swelling of the buds, larvae (founders) hatch from the eggs, which damage the kidneys. When the buds open, they move to leaves and young shoots.

It reproduces extremely quickly. It is especially harmful on young plantings.

1. Foundress females develop for 12-15 days, then give birth without fertilization to live larvae, which immediately begin to cause harm.
2. Over the summer, aphids produce from 5-6 to 10-15 generations (depending on the species and region), sometimes covering leaves and shoots with a continuous layer of larvae and adult females.
3. In the summer, simultaneously with the virgin females, winged female dispersers develop, which fly away, populating new plantings (some species colonize intermediate plants in the summer, and by autumn return to the main - migratory forms).
4. In September - October, aphids lay eggs on branches and shoots, which overwinter, and the aphids die from frost.

Aphids are certainly one of the ten most common, tenacious and annoying pests. These small insects feed on plant sap and can infect almost any part of them: leaves, stems, buds, flowers, roots. Aphids especially love young plants, which, as a rule, attack tender shoots and the underside of leaves. Visually, aphid infestation is easy to notice - in addition to the pests themselves, there is curvature and weakness of the shoots, downward curling of the edges of the leaf blade, and spots of black mold.

U aphids an oval soft body, with antennae on the head, and a pair of ovipositors at the end of the abdomen. Some individuals have underdeveloped wings, other copies wingless. Laying eggs aphid produces in the fall, the further development cycle will continue after wintering, in the spring. Offspring aphids becomes sexually mature already 7-8 weeks after birth.

It sucks juice from plants by piercing tissues with a hollow proboscis or the tip of an ovipositor. It feeds almost continuously and is capable of absorbing a fairly large volume of plant sap. Discharge aphids are a sticky, sweetish liquid fall . This is the one " honeydew"who is adored black ants– they protect aphid colonies. The parts of the plant become sticky, over time they develop spots black mold. Aphid colonies can move from plant to plant, carrying with their saliva viral diseases.

At my own dacha I don’t want to use it to combat aphids chemical. These connections are extremely toxic and cause harm not only aphids, but also other insects, birds, settle in the soil and become dangerous for plants and people. Therefore, let's consider other methods destruction aphids on a summer cottage.

Aphid fears plants with insecticidal properties - This Dolmatian chamomile, onion, garlic, calendula, wormwood. It is very good to plant these plants next to fruit bushes or other plantings which it is desirable to protect from aphids.

Question about attracting birds to the site to destroy aphids may be considered controversial: birds that feed aphids themselves and feed their chicks with it, of course, can significantly reduce the amount aphids, but they are the same applied by pecking fruits and berries.

Among insects natural enemies aphids are ladybugs (both adult insects and their larvae feed on aphids), ichneumon wasps, ground beetles, lacewings, some types of wasps, predatory bugs, surfflies. To attract them, fragrant plants are planted on the site ( parsley, dill, carrots and others), as well as green manure plants (buckwheat, mustard, clover, alfalfa).

To prepare a soap solution 300 g of laundry soap is dissolved in ten liters of water, the ground around the plant is covered with a film and the resulting solution is sprayed on the plant. The solution is suitable for use within a week; if one spraying fails to destroy all aphids, the procedure should be repeated.

Gives good results pollination of plants with crushed and sifted . This procedure is carried out early in the morning, while the dew has not yet dried, and in the evening, after preliminary spraying of the plants..

Used to combat aphids and celandine solution : Finely chop 5-6 young fresh plants, add 3 tablespoons of laundry soap shavings and leave it all in a bucket of warm water for up to 5 hours. The resulting infusion is filtered and young shoots and tops of plant branches are dipped into it..

Hot pepper infusion to kill aphids prepare as follows: 8-10 pods of red cayenne pepper are crushed together with seeds, add 50 g, pour one liter of boiled warm water and leave to infuse for a day. The finished strained solution is used for spraying plants - in addition to aphids, it is effective against beetle larvae, slugs, caterpillars, codling moths, garden bugs and thrips.

To prepare garlic infusion 5-6 cloves are passed through a press, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and half a liter of warm water are added, shaken well and left in a dark place for three days. 2-3 tablespoons of strained garlic infusion and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap are diluted in 1 liter of water, and the resulting solution is sprayed onto the plants..

Infusion of potato tops for spraying plants This is done like this: take 2 kg of chopped tops in a bucket of warm water, leave for 3-4 hours and filter.

Can be cooked infusion for spraying and from tomato tops : Half a kilo of green chopped tops is poured into a bucket of boiling water and kept on low heat for 30 minutes, allowed to cool and filtered. Before spraying, a glass of the resulting infusion is diluted with 1 liter of water..

Removing aphids from a site is a long process that requires patience and great effort on your part.. It is unlikely that it will be possible to solve this problem “in one fell swoop”; repeated treatments will be required. But this is how it is applied minimal damage to nature, and the gifts of your beds and garden will not be contaminated with dangerous chemicals».

Success in hard work and an excellent harvest!

Reading time: 8 min

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Aphids are the most common harmful insect that mercilessly destroys garden and home plants. Experienced flower growers are well aware of how important it is to regularly carry out preventive measures aimed at preventing the appearance of this insect.

The insect feeds on plant sap. An aphid infestation can destroy entire gardens or fields. It is difficult to say why aphids appear. It’s sad, but there is no hope that any gardener will be lucky enough not to encounter this pest.

Have questions?

Ask and receive useful advice from professional gardeners and experienced summer residents.

Appearance

The size of garden aphids does not exceed 8 millimeters in length. The domestic one is even smaller - the insect is no more than half a millimeter in length.

In nature, there are a huge number of varieties of aphids (you can see in the photo what aphids look like), but these insects can only be round or oval in shape.

If you examine this insect under a magnifying glass, you will notice that the body of the aphid has tubercles, growths and hairs.

The head has the shape of a trapezoid. It has segmented antennae - organs of touch and hearing.

Nature has awarded aphids with tiny faceted eyes of red, black or brown color. The insect sees quite well, even being able to distinguish some bright colors.

There is no oral cavity. Instead, the insect has a proboscis, which replaces not only its mouth, but also a “working tool” for obtaining food. It is with the proboscis that the aphid pierces the shell of plants and reaches their juicy pulp.

The pest moves on three pairs of short legs, and can even jump.

There are also aphids with wings, which are not a sexual characteristic. Both female and male aphids can fly.

Where do aphids come from?

The insect lives in colonies. Their numbers depend on the abundance of food and how effectively people fight this insect. Surprisingly, each individual in the colony performs its own functions. If you want, it has its own rights and responsibilities.

In this respect, aphid colonies are a bit like anthills, where there is a strict order established by nature.

Colonies settle on young leaves and stems of plants. They also readily attach themselves to flower buds; there are even root aphids.

The domestic aphid includes several subspecies of aphids, differing from each other in body color. Most often, red, black, green and white aphids settle on indoor plants in houses.

What do aphids eat?

Often, aphid colonies settle in close proximity to anthills. There is a logic to this. The fact is that the waste products of aphids are a favorite delicacy of ants, as they have a sweetish taste. In exchange for tasty food, ants protect aphid colonies from ladybugs and hoverflies, which are the fierce enemies of these pests.

Mealy

Potato

The potato aphid is a wingless insect. The color of her body can be red or green. The insect has an oval body shape, the length of which does not exceed 4 millimeters. The antennae are clearly visible on the head, and the tail is on the opposite side.

Cherry

The greatest damage from cherry aphid colonies occurs in the spring, when the leaves on cherries and cherries are tender. Later, only the strongest individuals manage to bite through the rough surface of the leaves. The weak die of hunger; the vast majority of them turn out to be such.

Unfortunately, during the spring months, shoot aphids manage to cause colossal damage to trees. They weaken, bear fruit poorly, and begin to hurt. Trees affected by cherry aphids often cannot withstand winter frosts and die.

Cereal

Cabbage

The cabbage aphid lays its eggs not in forks, but in the remains of cabbage leaves, which always remain after harvesting. In mid-spring, insects appear and immediately begin to destroy the cabbage. They usually fail to completely destroy a vegetable, but they can make it weak, loose and small.

Apple

Apple trees suffer from three types of aphids.

Gall, red gall

The red gall aphid is extremely prolific; it not only goes through a full development cycle per season, but also produces four offspring. From the name it is clear that the head of this aphid is red. The rest of its body is dark brown with a gray coating. The size of the insect does not exceed 2 millimeters, but it causes enormous damage. The red gall aphid affects not only the leaves of apple trees, but also the fruits. Affected apples should not be eaten.

Leafy

This species is also called grass aphid because it affects not only bushes and trees, but also grass. Its appearance on seedlings entails their death. Leaf aphids are characterized by the presence of wings on females.

The females are painted a beautiful lemon color, and yet there is no greater abomination to the gardener than this winged aphid. Wingless males look sad, as their bodies are dirty brown in color. It should be said that this particular species is protected by ants with particular zeal.

Tobacco

It is incredibly difficult to discern the pest against the background of affected leaves. The body of the insect is yellowish with green color. Under the influence of tobacco aphids, plant leaves do not curl into tubes, but immediately begin to turn yellow and soon fall off. The waste products of this insect contain honeydew, a causative agent of fungal diseases. If tobacco aphids are not eliminated in time, most of the crop will die.

Pea

There are two types of pea aphids. In the first species the females are wingless, while in the second they have wings. The wingless pea aphid prefers to settle on perennial plants. The winged one lives anywhere. It is this species that is more dangerous, as it quickly spreads over large areas.

Bean

This species primarily attacks plants in the Apiaceae family. Colonies of the pest densely cover the leaves and stems of plants. Carrot aphids live in all corners of the planet where there is at least some vegetation.

Ways to fight

The easiest way to get rid of the pest is with insecticides or similar other chemicals. All of these drugs are potent and therefore poisonous. Few summer residents will want to use them, since not only real aphids, but also the entire garden will be poisoned.

Beneficial insects, even birds, including domestic ones, die under the influence of insecticides. The harmful drug permeates the soil, leading to the appearance of harmful substances in the fruits. The harm to humans from this is obvious. Use insecticides only in desperate situations when the area is severely affected.

It is wiser to regularly inspect all the vegetation on the site and promptly apply folk, that is, environmentally friendly, control methods. What are aphids afraid of?

Any aphid, including melon aphids, does not appear near Dolmatian chamomile, onions, garlic, calendula, and wormwood. If these plants are planted next to fruit trees and bushes, then the pest most likely will not appear on the site.

As for birds feeding on garden aphids, there is no clear opinion on this issue. On the one hand, birds destroy aphids, but, on the other hand, they peck leaves, stems, and fruits of plants, thereby causing harm.

But regarding beneficial insects, the answer is clear. The more ladybugs, parasites, ground beetles, lacewings and a number of other insects live on your site, the fewer even flying aphids there will be. In order for these insects to appear, plant fragrant plants (dill, parsley, carrots), as well as green manure plants (buckwheat, mustard, clover, alfalfa).

The sooner you detect the appearance of aphids, the easier it will be to destroy them. Inspect your property carefully in early spring, when you can get rid of the pest mechanically before reproduction begins. It is enough to wash the affected areas or spray them with a solution of laundry soap so that the newly hatched aphids will die. Remove the pest from trees and bushes with a tight stream of water from a hose.

Prepare a soap solution: dissolve a worn-out bar of laundry soap in a bucket of water. Spray the affected areas with this solution. However, getting soap into the soil is undesirable. Do not be too lazy to cover the soil under the plants with plastic film while spraying. This solution retains its value for seven days. So you can use it more than once.

You can get rid of black aphids on cucumbers using sifted wood ash. Sprinkle it on plants affected by aphids. Do this early in the morning, when the dew on the leaves has not dried. If you sprinkle plants at other times of the day, pre-moisten them with water from a spray bottle. This is done so that the ash remains on the leaves for as long as possible.

Many gardeners and flower growers prefer to get rid of green roseate aphids with an infusion of celandine. To prepare it, take 5 or 6 celandine bushes and chop them finely. Add three tablespoons of laundry soap shavings to the resulting loose mass and add ten liters of hot water. After five hours of infusion, the product is ready for use. After straining the infusion, spray the affected areas or dip the branches directly into a bucket of this infusion.

Instead of celandine, you can use hot pepper. Red cayenne pepper works best. Grind a dozen of its pods along with the seeds, add 50 grams of soap shavings to the mass, pour in a liter of hot boiled water. Infuse this remedy for a day. After this, strain the infusion and spray it on the affected areas of the plants. Pepper infusion is also suitable for combating other harmful insects.

Another environmentally friendly way to combat pests is spraying with garlic infusion. To prepare it, squeeze 5 or 6 cloves of garlic on a garlic clove, add one tablespoon of sunflower oil. Pour this mixture into 500 ml of warm water and leave for three days. Only 2-3 tablespoons of strained infusion are used directly for spraying. Dilute this amount in a liter of water, add one tablespoon of liquid soap.

Potato infusion is quite effective. To prepare it, chop 2 kg of potato tops and fill it with ten liters of warm water. Leave the mixture for four hours, after which you can strain the infusion and use it for spraying.

Instead of potato tops, you can use tomato tops, but the technology for preparing the product will be different. Pour 500 grams of chopped tomato tops with ten liters of boiling water, leave on low heat for half an hour. Then cool the broth at room temperature and strain. For spraying you need to use only one glass of decoction. Dilute it in a liter of water.

One of the many insects that can cause significant damage to the plantations of your green wards is the common insect.

Different species are adapted to living on almost any ornamental or agricultural plant; it has the ability to reproduce quickly and easily spreads over a large area. Even indoor flowers may be at risk of contracting this disease. Aphids on plants have a detrimental effect on their growth and flowering. In addition, these pests are carriers of more than 100 species of phytoviruses and fungi, which complicate plant treatment.

Aphids are one of the oldest pests. These insects were found frozen in pieces of amber along with ants, which gives an idea of ​​the age of their families. Over the course of evolution, different individuals adapted to new plant species. This was greatly facilitated by their incredibly complex reproductive system, which allowed them to achieve phenomenal generational variability.

Most interesting facts:

• The insect aphid can reproduce both parthenogenetically, through viviparity, and sexually, laying eggs.
• Each species has at least two host plant species, one of which is necessarily perennial. Overwintering occurs only on perennial plants, so that the individuals hatching from the eggs have something to eat. For peach aphids, for example, the “winter” host is the peach tree, and the number of “summer” species is about 400. How aphids determine that this particular flower will bloom next year is unknown.
• Aphids in the ground can become a real natural disaster; If not controlled with insecticides, their rate of reproduction will allow them to easily destroy an entire field of beets in just a week.
• Black ants, common inhabitants of our latitudes, are actively engaged in “pastoralism”: they grow aphids, help them spread and look after them, protecting them from natural enemies. The reason for this is honeydew, a sweet liquid that aphids secrete during their life processes. It is used by ants for food.

What do aphids look like on plants?

The main signs of aphids:

• Curled tree leaves.
• The presence of a huge number of insects similar to aphids in the recesses and on the inside of the leaf.
• Sticky liquid covering leaves (honeydew).
• Drying tips of leaves and death of entire leaf blades.

How do aphids reproduce?

Aphids (Aphidinae) are the most common and, from a scientific point of view, the most interesting representative of the Homoptera family. More than 1,500 species have been found and described in our country, which are divided into 10 families. The entire suborder of Aphids is characterized by polymorphism - completely different functional individuals are formed in one population.

The separation of forms and reproduction of aphids occurs as follows:

But what does aphid look like and how can you distinguish it from other pests? Externally, different species differ in size and color. The color of the integument depends on the plant on which a particular species lives. For example, the blood aphid, also called the red aphid, is reddish in color, and it lives on apple trees, infecting young buds and leaves.

External structure

The adult form (imago) is tiny translucent bugs, the body of which can be rounded-oblong, teardrop-shaped or ellipsoidal. The size varies from 2 to 7 mm. Color depends on the species and even on the life cycle. The color is formed by the distribution of hemolymph and the pigmentation of the wax coating on the integument (an excellent example is the red gall aphid). They may have various outgrowths, tubercles, specific hairs, etc.

At the anterior, narrowed end of the body there is a small head with antennae directed towards the tail end. On the antennae there are so-called rhinaria - sensory receptors, similar in function to taste, and auditory receptors. The head also contains the organs of vision, represented by two compound eyes.

In wingless virgins they can be reduced, but in winged ones, on the contrary, there are three additional simple eyes.

The mouthparts are of the gnawing-proboscis type, making it possible to create holes in the leaves and suck out cell sap.

The structure of the chest is typical for representatives of Homoptera, but in the case of aphids, the form of the life cycle is important. Wings are present only in winged virgins; in other insects they are reduced. Six thin long legs are attached to the chest. Despite their size, aphids move very slowly.

Abdomen of 9 segments, the last one is underdeveloped. It has outlets for the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems. The reproductive apparatus is located on the outermost segment.

Internal structure

Aphids feed on cell sap. A piercing long proboscis pierces the surface of the leaf, and all available liquid is sucked out. The main things an insect needs are amino acids and minerals. The resulting glucose and sucrose leave the digestive tract along with harmful waste products - this is honeydew.

INTERESTING! The leaves and opening buds affected by aphids curl, forming tubes where they continue to live and reproduce. This is especially true for fruit and pear aphids - they even have a second name: “twisting”. It is quite easy to identify a diseased tree by such leaves.

Reproduction occurs in two ways - viviparity and egg laying. Polymorphism makes it possible to perfectly adapt to changing environmental conditions and allows pests to live on the plant almost forever, repeating the life cycle again and again.

Viviparous females, when born, have in their reproductive tracts individuals already ready for independent life, which, in turn, also contain hundreds of embryos of varying degrees of development inside. Such a system allows the population to increase exponentially every day.

These pests are extremely specific: different species can only feed on the sap of certain plants. Even within a species, polymorphic forms (different forms of the same species) cannot feed on the same plant: for example, female founders can only drink the sap of the primary “winter” host.

Damage caused

Leaf destruction

In bulbous plants, as is known, the number of leaves is limited. Dying leaves decompose, causing healthy tissue to rot, especially in wet conditions. When all the leaves die, there will be no flowers or fruits. Most likely, the plant will simply die. To prevent this from happening, you need to choose the best drug against aphids!

Transfer of viruses and fungi

Aphids, traveling from plant to plant, carry hundreds of pathogens, phytoviruses and fungi. By damaging the leaves and filling all leaf pores with honeydew, it creates the most favorable conditions for the development of diseases.

IMPORTANT! If a plant is attacked by aphids, then the following diseases are possible: fucarosis, botrytosis, sooty fungus, leaf spot of bulbous plants - and this is only among fungal diseases that are treatable. When infected with viruses, the only way to combat it is to cull diseased plants!

Therefore, when fields are massively infested, it is often necessary to treat them not only with insecticides, but also with other drugs (depending on the diseases brought in). It is necessary to carefully monitor the main signs of infection.

Why are aphids dangerous for flowers?

Bulbous plants themselves are very resistant to pests that feed on cell sap. Most of these flowers belong to the monocot family, which have strong cell walls with a lot of cellulose. Many of the bulbous plants are poisonous, for example, to other types of insects, but this does not stop the aphids.

Aphids can attack both outdoor plants and indoor decorative flowers. In any case, an aphid attack leads to dire consequences.

In vegetable gardens, aphids are almost permanent residents. Very often even regular treatment with insecticides does not help. Plants wither, wither, leaves curl, buds do not open, as a result of which the harvest suffers.

Bulbous flowers are also at risk of over-infestation, especially at the very beginning of summer. You can read more about the fight against aphids in the garden!

Gardens with fruit trees, landscaped with flower beds of bulbous flowers, are a favorite habitat for aphids. Unfortunately, aphids are easily transported over long distances by air currents and first stop on trees - this is one of the many reasons why aphids appear.

For fruit aphids, bulbous flowers will be quite a suitable “summer” pasture. For a more complete introduction to methods for preventing the spread of aphids in the garden, you can read the corresponding one.

Flowers often begin to be grown much earlier than expected, in greenhouses. Beautiful hyacinths, arrows, amaryllis and daffodils grown for sale in early spring can become victims of pest attack.

A greenhouse is a kind of incubator where aphids can settle much earlier and reproduce more actively due to increased humidity and temperature. For infection, it is enough to release several winged females during ventilation, and within a week they can infect all the plants.

Control and prevention of aphids in greenhouses is an important element of early cultivation of bulbous plants; you can read about this in this article!

Ornamental bulbs grown in apartments and private houses, about which you can read in more detail, can also suffer from aphids. In this case, bulb storage conditions, planting time, watering, fertilizing and much more play a huge role.

Fortunately, removing aphids from pets is quite simple and does not require much effort, as is the case with open ground. The main thing is to notice the onset of the disease in time. You can learn about aphids in this.

Risk factors

Aphid disease occurs if the conditions of maintenance do not meet the necessary requirements for bulbous plants. In general, there are several risk factors:

Now you know how aphids appear! Therefore, be sure to read further about preventing the development of aphids and the method of combating this pest!

Seasonality of the disease

ATTENTION! Do not forget that aphids are active throughout the summer and can reproduce at any time. Preventively spray plants with solutions of natural or chemical insecticides. In gardens and greenhouses, it is better to start prevention in April, in vegetable gardens - in May.

How to protect bulbous flowers?

There are three in total:

• Chemical;
• Folk;
• Biological.

Chemical method

Of course, the most effective remedy for aphids will be regular chemical treatment of gardens, vegetable gardens and greenhouses. There are now many insecticides available that do not accumulate in plant fruits and do not cause allergies. However, this method has many opponents who claim that the synthesized poison negatively affects the ecosystem and human health with prolonged exposure.

Each gardener has his own usual preparations for combating aphids. Both the latest developments and ancient, long-tested and reliable means are used. Read more about the use of insecticides on bulbous plants here!

Folk way

Traditional methods are the most used in Russia. Their popularity is mainly explained by the complete safety of the solutions used. Only natural insecticides are used here: tansy, garlic, onion peels, soap-alcohol solutions and much more.

pros: these solutions have absolutely no impact on the environment and still work as intended. Many gardeners prefer this proven remedy for aphids at home.

Minuses: the complexity of preparing a huge amount of solution for treatment, and the effectiveness is lower than that of insecticides, and it is necessary to process more often. An activity for hardworking and truly caring citizens.

Biological method

The biological method is recognized by all research scientists as the most reasonable method of controlling the aphid population. Its use can be described as planting ladybird larvae or predatory wasps that eat aphids on the affected area. The fact that they have natural enemies that feed on aphids and heal entire plantations has been known for a long time, but there have always been some obstacles to the use of this method.

Firstly, response duration. It takes time to destroy a population, but in the case of aphids there is no more time: it multiplies too quickly, unlike the same wasps. The harvest suffers and the farm suffers losses.

Secondly, difficulty of implementation. Previously, it was generally not possible to buy ladybird or wasp larvae. Now there are even online stores that supply similar products. You also need to not just release the larvae into the area, but plant them on the affected plants, which is very inconvenient for the farmer.

Third, uncontrollability. It is unknown whether these purchased larvae will survive or not, whether someone else will eat them and whether they will be able to fulfill their function.

In general, this method is too unreliable even for a modern person who is aware of environmental problems. The biological method is best used as a preventive measure, and not as a remedy for aphids on plants.

Modern methods of control make it possible to easily get rid of an aphid infestation. The main thing is to notice problems in time and correctly diagnose them, assessing the level of danger for your bulbous pets.

Useful video

This video shows another most effective remedy for aphids:

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