There are aphids. Aphids on houseplants. How to deal with it? Fighting aphids without chemicals

Various pests can be found on trees and plants. Each species is dangerous in its own way for representatives of the flora. One of the unpleasant and harmful insects is. Small green or black individuals infect the plant in a short time, feeding on the sap of leaves, shoots of the root system, and buds of inflorescences. It is important for any gardener to understand where aphids come from on plants in order to take measures to eliminate them.

Causes of insects

Aphids cannot appear “out of nowhere”. There are several options for infecting a plant with this pest:

1. From eggs laid in fallen leaves during the winter, winged females emerge at the beginning of the summer season. They mate with males and, once fertilized, fly around the surrounding area in search of a suitable tree or flower. Having settled in a new place, the winged individual lays eggs on the lower part of the leaf. The young generation grows into females capable of viviparity without fertilization. They are the ones who create the main population of pests. A large infestation of insects can seriously damage the crop or the trees themselves.
2. After detecting a large number, aphids will soon form there. This is explained by the fact that ants are in symbiosis with aphids. Feeding on the sweet secretion from the abdomen of the beetles, shepherd ants move the pest to new leaves and protect them from other insects. Some species of ants breed aphids on the root shoots of plants.
3. Indoor flowers are no less susceptible to pests than garden crops. Most often after soil renewal. Insect eggs can be contained in soil purchased or collected from the street. When purchasing a new plant in a store, there is a chance that it may be infected with aphids, which will readily crawl onto other indoor flowers. Winged females can enter an apartment through an open window or even through a mosquito net.

To protect the root system of a tree or flower, it is recommended to sprinkle the ground around the base of the plant with wood ash. Tree trunks are covered with 20% slaked lime in early spring.

On a note!

One female aphid can bring up to 3 new generations of individuals over the summer with a total number of about 100 thousand.

To combat pest attacks in an apartment or house, you should choose the smallest mosquito net for the window. Pots of flowers on the windowsill provide a visual and fragrant reference point. In order to prevent infection of your favorite flowers, they can be covered with a special covering material that can transmit sunlight, but prevents insects from penetrating the plant. In addition, they help get rid of aphids. These include.

These are miniature creatures, with a body length from 0.5 mm to 7 mm, but more often no more than 3 mm, the body shape resembles a drop, pointed at the rear end. See the photo on the right for what aphids look like.

Descriptions of insects may vary. Depending on the conditions of existence, they can be wingless or have 2 pairs of transparent wings, with the back pair always shorter than the front. Pictures of them can be seen below in this material. Aphids on leaves can completely destroy a tree or plant.

The color is very diverse - black, green, pink, red, or even the insect is completely transparent. On the head are dark eyes and a pair of antennae.

Is there a useful We'll find out about aphids later.

Photo of aphids

How do they reproduce?

Aphid reproduction occurs as follows. Aphids overwinter in the form of eggs, deposited in a secluded place - on the roots of plants or in cracks in the bark of a tree.

In the spring, the wingless female founder of the colony emerges from the egg. and begins to give birth to living larvae, from which only wingless virgin females emerge.

They received such a curious name because that they do not need a male to give birth to larvae, and in summer they give birth only to females. Read on to find out how long aphids live.

Rapidly multiplying - and one virgin female lives for about a month and gives birth to 50 to 100 larvae- aphids form a colony.

The aphid larva is a smaller copy of the adult and grows quickly, periodically shedding its skin. After 10-15 days a new individual also ready to reproduce.

When the size of the colony becomes critical, winged female virgins are born and, flying to other plants, they give rise to new colonies. And only in the fall, when unfavorable conditions occur, real females are born in the colony and real males, capable of mating and laying eggs, which will overwinter.

Over the summer, up to 20 generations often occur from one founder, and her offspring number in the hundreds of thousands.

How and what does he eat?

Each individual is equipped with a piercing proboscis for feeding plant sap. Some aphids feed on only one type of plant, some on two, and many can suck the juices from a whole group of suitable plants.

Excess ingested juice is released in the form of a sticky sugary droplet - honeydew or honeydew(or milk of aphids), which ants love to feast on.

Where do they come from?

There are a large number of and some of them switched to cultivated plants. What are the causes or what causes aphids?

Most often, aphids enter plantings with new, plants that have not been tested for infection. An old, unkempt area is always contains a large number of aphids and infects neighboring areas.

Moreover, Ants help aphids to settle, transferring them to new plants.

Why are they dangerous?

The damage caused by aphids is quite great. New colonies form on the lower surface of the leaves, so they are not immediately noticeable.

Aphids produce toxins that cause changes in the shape of plant organs. First of all, aphids attack young shoots, buds, flowers. The leaves begin to curl, the buds fall off without opening, the flowers become curled, and the fruits do not set.

With a high number of colonies, crop growth may be suspended. Spots or yellow mesh appear on the leaves, honeydew secretions contaminate the leaves and interfere with normal light absorption, In addition, black sooty fungus or other molds settle on them.

Shoots affected by aphids are weakened and freeze more strongly in winter. Such plants get sick more often. Aphid infestation can kill a cultivated plant.

Some species of aphids form galls- tumors on the shoots, from which ulcers subsequently form, which can lead to the death of the plant.

The big danger is that aphids can carry dozens of plant viruses!

Who is attracted to or eats the pest?

Natural enemies of aphids are some insects and songbirds. Birds can be attracted by feeders and planting berry bushes.

Among the insects, it is worth mentioning ladybugs, lacewings, certain types of ichneumon fly - the genera Aphelinus, Aidius, Lysiflebus, Praop, Matricaria, hover flies, mantises, predatory gall midges, ground beetles, and earwigs.

Planting plants that are attractive to these insects should also produce good results.

The ground beetle prefers nightshade plants, Earwigs love to settle in flower pots with wood shavings; such pots can be placed under trees; hover flies happily feed on daisy pollen. Effective in the fight against aphids and.

What is he afraid of?

The smell of some plants is not acceptable to aphids - these are onions, garlic and Dalmatian chamomile. If you plant or place Dalmatian chamomile in pots next to the seedlings, the aphids will disappear.

But there are plants, on the contrary, that are very attractive to aphids, a kind of “distraction”.

These are nasturtium, cosmos, poppy, mallow, tuberous begonias, as well as viburnum and linden. Alternating their plantings, you can reduce the likelihood of aphid attacks for garden and vegetable crops.

Plant species that attract aphids should not be planted next to protected ones. Although nasturtiums are sometimes planted around fruit trees, so that aphids immediately settle on them. In the future, herbaceous plants along with aphid colonies can be easily mowed down and destroyed.

There are also various methods and methods for getting rid of aphids: agrotechnical, biological, mechanical and chemical.

Conclusion

It is precisely due to its high fertility that the small defenseless insect poses a serious problem for agriculture.

But by competently applying both the principles of organic gardening and industrial insecticides, you can count on successful cleaning of your field or garden from annoying enemies of the harvest.

Useful video!

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 to live larvae without fertilization, 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.

In the process of growing flowers, vegetables and fruits, many problems arise, one of the most common of which is aphids. Almost every gardener has encountered this scourge. This article describes in detail what this pest is and how to deal with it.

Green aphid.

The aphid family (Aphidoidea) belongs to the order Hemiptera. In total there are about 4000 species. What aphids look like: these bugs are very small in size (about two to seven millimeters), green and black in color (brown, reddish-brown and gray are very rare). They are attached to the plant using a special proboscis, which is used to pierce the stem or leaves and suck out the juice. There are wingless and winged representatives. They have six limbs, a distinctive feature being two long tubular appendages on the back of the body.

Black aphid.

Aphid reproduction. The eggs of these insects overwinter with the plant, and in the spring the larvae hatch and begin to rapidly reproduce asexually (the process of turning a larva into an adult capable of reproduction takes a week). When the shoot becomes lignified, winged individuals appear (in the photo below - winged aphids), which begin to fly to neighboring plants. Closer to autumn, the aphid flies to the previous host plant and begins to lay eggs there through sexual reproduction.

What is the danger of aphids?

First of all, it sucks out nutrients, which leads to weakening, delayed formation of fruits, slower growth and even death of garden crops. The leaves fall off, the shoot becomes severely deformed and looks ugly. Among other things, aphids contaminate the leaves, interfering with the normal process of gas exchange and photosynthesis, and also contribute to the spread of sooty fungus. Pests are often carriers of infections that can infect the plants themselves.

Aphids are considered one of the most harmful plant pests. In spring, they occupy young shoots of plants or settle on the undersides of leaves. By sucking the juice of green plants, aphids dry out the fresh shoots, which eventually die.

In addition, this type of pest, being a carrier of viral diseases, contributes to the formation of galls on the leaves. They lead to weakening of plants, which often leads to their death.

What is a pest?

Aphids belong to a group of insects that has approximately 4,000 species. All of them are distinguished by their miniature size (0.5-2 mm) and the characteristic structure of the oral apparatus, which has the shape of a proboscis. Adult insects have long legs. Their body is slightly elongated, oval in shape. The color can be different: black, green, brown, beige or red. In some cases, it has the same color as the plant on which the aphid has settled.

The insect's body is soft, transparent, and sometimes has a waxy coating. Aphids do not live alone, but in large colonies. There are wingless and winged species of these pests.

Females very often do not have wings, so they constantly live on one plant, performing the main function - reproduction. Winged individuals spread very quickly, so it is difficult to fight them.

Most female aphids are endowed with a special type of reproduction, which consists of the development of an embryo without fertilization. Larvae hatch from eggs or appear by viviparity. Females are extremely fertile - within just two weeks, each of them gives birth to up to 150 larvae.

Signs of plants infected with aphids

In addition to the fact that insects can be seen with the naked eye, the infection of plants by aphids is indicated by the deformation of leaves, tops of shoots and the appearance of sweet secretions (honeydew) on them. After a while, a sooty fungus appears on them.

When crawling ants appear near plants, you must check whether the bushes are infected with aphids. They are usually attracted to the honeydew secreted by aphids. In addition, aphids are protected by ants, receiving sugar-containing secretions in return.

Affected plants differ from healthy ones by curled yellow leaves that form nodules. Flower buds stop developing or produce deformed flowers. Mature leaves become covered with a sticky coating that forms a coating. Aphids cause particular damage to carnations, roses, and forced bulbous crops.

Use of chemicals

Manufacturers offer a huge number of chemicals that help fight aphids that have occupied vegetable or garden crops:

1. Karbofos (Malathion) is an effective remedy with which you can quickly get rid of not only aphids, but also flies, fleas, mosquitoes, ants, bedbugs and cockroaches. In stores, this drug is provided by the drug “Fufanon”. The bottle contains 10 ml of the substance, which must be diluted in water (10 l) before treatment.
2. Aktara (Thiamethoxam) is a broad-spectrum drug. With its help you can get rid of aphids and ants for a long time.
3. Intavir - effectively fights aphids. Available in tablet form. The consumption rate of the drug is 1 tablet per 0.6 liters of water. Since Intavir has a nerve-paralytic effect on insects, the result can be seen within 20-25 minutes. after processing.

How to get rid of aphids on currants?

Aphids love to settle in unopened currant buds. Pests inhibit the development of the plant by eating the core and tightly gluing unblown leaves together. Therefore, insect control can only be effective if aphids on currants are quickly detected.

Even better is to prevent its occurrence. This needs to be taken care of in the fall. It is necessary to collect and burn plant debris, and also dig up the ground around the bushes before frost.

If there are anthills, you need to treat them with a special product, then collect the remains and burn them. When ants settle in the ground, you can fight them with boiling water. This rather old method of fighting is considered safe and effective.

The first treatment of shrubs against aphids should be carried out immediately after the snow melts. Dormant buds should be scalded with boiling water. The main thing is to choose the right moment when the aphids begin to leave their winter shelters. It is important to remember that if you are late with processing, you can harm the plant.

Aphids on roses

Most varieties of roses do not tolerate chemical treatments well. Therefore, gardeners try to use folk remedies to combat any types of pests. Massive damage to flowers is usually observed during the formation of tomato bushes and pruning of shoots on winter types of garlic. The waste from these plants can be used to make an infusion against pests.

To do this, the green mass is crushed, filled with water and placed in a warm place. After infusing it for 24 hours, the liquid must be filtered and the rose bushes treated. You can fight aphids on roses with a decoction of onion peels.

To do this, you need to pour boiling water over a small amount of raw material. To make the infusion stick better to the leaves, you can add a small amount of soap to it. It is better to carry out processing in dry, windless weather in the evening. The result can be assessed the very next day.

How to remove aphids from indoor plants?

In case of slight infestation of flowers by insects, folk remedies for aphids are usually used - they will not harm either plants or people. To combat aphids on indoor plants, the following methods are usually used:

• treating affected areas with a solution prepared based on laundry soap;
• Coating the leaves with a brush with a solution of kerosene and water. This procedure should be carried out in a ventilated room. Some time later, you should wash the leaves of the plants with running water;
• treatment of diseased bushes with infusions of fragrant plants: tobacco, tomatoes, celandine or wormwood.
• spraying with one of the infusions made from garlic, ash and aromatic soap;
• treatment with infusion of citrus peels. You can simply dry them and put them in a flowerpot with an infected plant. This method is often used to control aphids on orchids.

If traditional methods do not help get rid of aphids on flowers, then you need to resort to the use of chemicals that can be purchased at a specialty store.

How to fight aphids on cucumbers?

Cucumber bushes affected by aphids develop poorly, bloom and produce poor yields. If you do not start processing in a timely manner, traditional methods will not give results, and using chemicals during fruiting is dangerous and unacceptable.

The easiest way to combat aphids on cucumbers is vinegar. To prepare the solution, you need to dilute 9% table vinegar (1 tbsp) in water (1 l). For processing you need to use a sprayer. It is best to carry out the treatment in the evening.

An effective method is dry mustard powder scattered in places where ants appear. In addition, mustard solution can be used to treat cucumber bushes. To do this, 10 g of raw material must be dissolved in water (1 liter) and a little soap (preferably liquid) added there.

You can spray cucumbers with a solution of tar soap. To prepare it, you will need to grate a bar of soap (100 g) on ​​a coarse grater and dilute it with water (10 l). The treatment should be carried out only after the soap is completely dissolved in water.

According to many gardeners, an effective way to control pests is spraying with garlic infusion. To prepare it, you need to peel the garlic (0.5 kg) and chop it finely. After this, add water (3 l) and one sprig of celandine. The solution must be infused for 5 days in a closed container. To spray cucumbers, add a small amount of liquid soap to the strained infusion.

Aphids on bell peppers

There are ways that are safe for humans to deal with aphids that have infected peppers, without the use of chemicals:

• spraying the bushes with a garlic solution prepared from garlic (100 g) and water (1 l), which should be filtered and diluted in 9 l of water a day after infusion;
• dusting pepper bushes with ash or tobacco dust. To ensure that the product adheres well to the stems and leaves, you need to spray the bushes with hot water before starting the procedure;
• spraying plants with infusion of onion peels. It’s simple to prepare: you need to chop onions (30 g) together with the peel and fill it with water (1 l). After 5 hours of infusion, you should strain the solution and, adding a couple of drops of liquid soap to it, begin processing.

If there are aphids on tomatoes

When aphids appear on tomatoes, they also most often resort to traditional methods of control. After all, they are completely safe for people, easy to prepare and washed off after the first rain. All treatments should be carried out in the morning, or better yet, in the evening.

Some of the most popular products are wood ash and soap. After such treatment, an alkaline environment is formed on the plants, which aphids cannot tolerate. To prepare the working solution, add crushed wood ash (300 g) to 10 liters of water and boil for half an hour. After this, the cooled product must be filtered and liquid soap (40 ml) added to it.

The fight against aphids on tomatoes can also be carried out using herbal infusions. For this purpose, plants containing alkaloids or bitterness are used. This could be, for example, pine needles or tobacco. To prepare the infusion, the greens are finely chopped and boiled in water for half an hour (proportion – 0.2:1). A few days after infusion, the resulting mixture must be squeezed out and strained. By adding water to obtain 10 liters, the solution can be used to spray infected plants.

Preventive measures

To avoid infestation of plants with aphids, you need to thoroughly inspect the planting material and seedlings before planting. To attract the attention of hoverflies, which destroy aphids, it is advisable to plant parsley, dill or carrots next to the beds. A good method to prevent aphids is to mulch paths with wood shavings. An earwig lives in it, for which aphids are one of the food sources.

To avoid aphid infestation, you need to ensure that ants do not appear in the garden. If they are identified, you must immediately take all necessary measures to get rid of them as quickly as possible. To repel aphids, you can plant thyme or lavender in flower beds, the smell of which aphids cannot tolerate.

Feeding plants should be done very carefully. You should not overfeed them with fertilizers, but you should also not allow the soil to become depleted - aphids prefer weak and overfed plants. Infestation by aphids can also be prevented by timely weeding, loosening the soil, and mulching it.