How to protect cucumbers from the insidious sprout fly

Varieties

Mining flies have a fairly high food specialization, that is, larvae of different species feed on certain tissues of specific plant species. Most species of leafminers have larvae that eat leaves, but there are species whose larvae feed on fruits, roots, inflorescences, or bulbs. For example, bulb fly larvae damage garlic and onion bulbs, which become soft and rot.

Beet

Beet leaf miners cause great harm. Their larvae feed on the leaves of beets, spinach, and other types of nightshades. In addition, they can eat wild goosefoot

and nightshades. Adults reach 6–8 mm in length. Flies lay eggs on the underside of leaves. Several eggs are laid at a time; one female can lay up to 100 eggs in her lifetime. After four to five days, fly larvae emerge from the eggs and make passages in the leaves (in other words, they mine them). On the surface of the leaf, these mines are visible as dirty yellow swellings. Having settled on young beet plants, the larvae of leaf miners often lead to the death of seedlings. At later stages of development, infection by leafmining flies leads to a decrease in the weight of root crops. Under favorable conditions, three generations of beet flies can change over the summer. Flies pupate in the ground, and in the ground they overwinter in the form of pupae (fly pupae are also called false cocoons).

Solanaceae

The so-called nightshade miners are tiny flies, only 2-2.5 mm long. These insects

damage cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, celery and melons. Females of the first generation lay eggs in cotyledons or young leaves. Larvae that appear in early spring sometimes cause the death of young plants. When flies lay eggs on leaves, this is noticeable by yellow puncture marks.

The hatched larvae form clearly visible passages, or mines, in the leaves. Inside the mines you can see a dark trail of larval excrement. About three weeks after birth, the larva gnaws its way out, falls to the ground, buries itself in the soil and forms a pupa, from which an adult fly emerges a few days later. Having multiplied in large numbers, the leaf miners retard the growth of plants, and the affected leaves dry out and fall off. But even a small number of miners reduces crop productivity.

Video: Poplar moth attacks the apartments of Polevka residents

Miner flies are, first of all, garden pests, sometimes accidentally falling on indoor flowers.
In central Russia, there are several species of leaf miners: heterophagous and polyphagous miners, strawberry, chrysanthemum and nightshade miners, etc. - flies of the Agromizida family. Among the agromysid flies there are also gall flies, but the miners include flies of the genus Phytomyza and Liriomyza. Now let's figure out how to fight this parasite. First of all, you need to thoroughly loosen the soil. After all, pupae overwinter in the soil. Thus, they will fall deeper into the ground and will no longer be able to get out of there.

In addition, you need to regularly weed the plantings, since parasites also feed on weeds of the nightshade family. After harvesting the weeds, they must be burned.

For prevention, you can hang sticky tapes. You can also wrap glue belts around tree trunks.

As you can understand from this article, the described parasites are very insidious opponents that multiply quickly and lead to the death of plants or a decrease in yield. Therefore, it is necessary to be very careful and take appropriate measures in time to save the harvest and the plants themselves.

Root nematode: what harm does it cause to cucumbers, description and methods of control

This is a worm 1.5 mm long. His favorite habitats are: greenhouses, greenhouses. Having penetrated the roots of the plant, the nematode settles there.

How to find out that cucumbers are infected with this pest

1. An infected cucumber bush lags behind similar ones in growth. 2. The harvest was obtained in a reduced volume. 3. You can observe that unsightly “bumps” have appeared on the roots - these are the places where nematode larvae mature.

What to do to destroy the worm on cucumbers:

It is difficult to eliminate a nematode if it has already appeared in the greenhouse. It is worth taking preventive actions: In the garden bed, in open ground, where cucumbers grow, you need to plant cabbage and garlic. Weeds, every single one, must be destroyed so that the nematodes have nothing to eat.

The soil is watered with boiling water. Then cover it with film for 2 or 3 hours. As soon as pests that destroy cucumbers are discovered, the top layer of soil must be removed. As an option, the soil is frozen, but the worms may not die.

When individual roundworms become visible, it is imperative to dig up the infected cucumber bush, as well as the bushes on the right and left. The roots and soil should be treated with a 5% formaldehyde solution or 2% carbation. The soil is covered with polyethylene.

External signs of damage

It is very easy to notice the leaf miner on the leaves: punctures from the females of this parasite become the first to become obvious. Depending on the type of plant, the nature of the damage will differ, so external signs should be considered separately for specific groups.

Fruit trees

Most often, miners settle on apple, pear and cherry trees. Trees have been mined for several years and begin to dry out from the top. The mines are different shades of brown and have a snake-like or even bubbly shape. Affected leaves need to be removed; yellow boards are used to catch flies.

Flowers

Flower miners are most often found on violets, zinnias and chrysanthemums. They differ in shades and tortuosity of the lesion traces. If burrows are detected, the leaves must be urgently removed and the plant must be sprayed with a pyrethrum-based preparation.

Shrubs

Roses, rhododendron, and holly are especially at risk. Miners leave puncture points, which over time turn into long passages with many convolutions.

Vegetables

On the leaves of tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce, you can notice long strokes, usually of a light shade. To catch miners, you can also use yellow signs or send riders into the greenhouse. However, details about methods of combating miners in different ways are written in the final parts of the material.

How does the germ fly develop?

The first generation of the pest appears in the spring at the junction of April and May. This moment may shift by 10 days in one direction or another, depending on the region. Having fed on nectar and pollen, the flies begin to mate. Soon the eggs are laid. One female lays 50 to 60 eggs at a time in wet manure.

Females especially prefer to lay eggs in the manured soil of cucumber beds. Embryonic development lasts from 4 to 10 days, the period depends on soil temperature. Born larvae are characterized by increased mobility.

They immediately begin to move in the beds, in search of germinating seeds. Having found such a seed, the larvae gnaw through the place where the sprouts appear and eat the contents of the seeds from the inside. The seedlings die from such exposure.

The speed of larval development depends on the abundance of food and temperature. This may take from 10 to 40 days. When the pupation stage approaches, the larvae reach their maximum length, their bodies thicken, and their color becomes dirty whitish.

The larvae pupate in the soil layer, in the summer at a depth of 5 cm, and in the fall the process occurs at a depth of 9 cm. The shell of the pupa is quite hard, it is colored brown-yellow. At the end of the shell there are 4 strong teeth.

The sprout fly stays in the pupal stage for different periods of time. In summer, this period lasts from 12 to 20 days, and wintering pupae remain in this state for 180 days. An adult fly flies out of the pupae and this completes the insect’s development cycle.

Attention! In areas with a warm climate, females can give up to 4 generations of the pest per season, and in regions with a cool climate - no more than 2 generations.

Mining fly: what it affects and how to deal with it

The leaf miner is a two-winged insect that is a rather dangerous pest of indoor plants and vegetable crops, as well as trees. There are more than 3 thousand species of this fly in the world, the largest number - about 350 species - in Germany. The most “harmful” leafminer is the American fly (Liriomyza), up to 2 mm in size, gray-black in color with yellow spots.

In Russia, a number of miner flies are found in natural conditions: heterophagous, polyphagous, chrysanthemum leaf flies, nightshade flies, as well as onion and sprout flies, etc.

How the leafminer works can be judged from the report of the Far Eastern Research Institute of Plant Protection, which for the first time in 2003 described the leafminer Liriomyza chinensis Kato as a massive pest of oak in the Primorsky Territory.

After mating with males, females begin laying eggs. Using an ovipositor, they pierce a leaf with it, after which light green puncture points remain, which later turn white. Only 15 out of 100 injections result in the laying of eggs - the rest serve to feed the flies. After 2-5 days, larvae hatch from the laid eggs and begin to feed. They do this by gnawing white passages in the leaf, called mines (hence the name of the fly), 1 mm in diameter and reaching a length of up to 12 mm. If the resources of a leaf are exhausted, the larva leaves it, travels along the stem to another leaf and continues to devour its tissues. This continues for up to two weeks. The larvae, ready to pupate, gnaw through the leaf and emerge. They pupate in the soil at a shallow depth.

In about a week of her life (males live even shorter - no more than three days), each female is capable of laying from 200 to 400 eggs . At room temperature +20, the development cycle of a leafminer from egg to insect lasts approximately 25 days.

Each fly prick, each gnawed passage leads to the destruction of leaf cells, a reduction in its photosynthetic surface and, accordingly, to inhibition of plant growth. A serious defeat causes the death of the plant: the leaves die and fall off, the bulbs of bulbous plants become soft and begin to rot, germinating seeds and seedlings are usually completely destroyed.

Leaf miners infect ornamental plants (carnations, gerberas, freesias, chrysanthemums, cineraria), a number of vegetable crops, and the birch leaf miner, common in the European part of Russia, affects birch trees. The larvae, deposited under the bark of a tree, gnaw out long passages in the surface layers of wood, called pith spots in silvicultural literature. Wood with such grooves is considered unsuitable for use and is rejected. In addition to birch, the fly also “mines” aspen and alder.

Mining flies appear in late spring and summer , when air temperature and relative humidity begin to rise. If you have not encountered such a pest so far, carefully inspect all brought plants, including cut flowers, and use only proven, clean, disinfected soil for replanting. Buy only plants whose health you are one hundred percent sure of. Also be careful when taking plants out onto the balcony in summer: although the fly is not able to travel long distances on its own, the wind does it for it.

A good means of prevention and barrier against a massive invasion of leaf miners are all kinds of traps with a sticky ingredient that attract flies with their bright colors or the smell of an attractant. A reliable barrier to this and many other pests will be a window mesh made of finely woven polyester fabric, the mesh sizes of which are small enough to prevent the fly from penetrating into the room.

If the plant does become infected , more serious means must be used. First of all, plants and their leaves, severely damaged by the leafminer and its larvae, should be mercilessly destroyed by burning. Those plants that can still be saved if the infection is widespread are treated with insecticides (actellik, karbofos, fitoverm); spray twice. The onion fly is attacked by introducing basadine or fly beetle into the soil. Treatment with tobacco or tobacco dust will also have an effect on the pest, acting as a repeller.

What to spray against melon aphids

Aphids are small yellowish or dark green insects, entire colonies clinging to the underside of leaves, buds, fruit ovaries, and the tops of young shoots. They feed on plant sap. As a result, the leaves wrinkle, become deformed, and the buds fall off.

The cucumber bush practically stops growing, then dries and dies. Aphids are dangerous not only in themselves - they carry many dangerous microorganisms, for example, sooty fungus.

The melon aphid is a pest that is very easy to notice.
If the problem is noticed in a timely manner, when there are still a few aphids, you can simply wash it off the bush by hosing the cucumbers with a stream of water under strong pressure. If there is no technical possibility, the leaves are simply wiped with soap suds.

Melon aphids cling to young cucumber leaves in a dense layer

Treatment of cucumbers against aphids with folk remedies

Folk remedies are good mainly for preventing aphids. Cucumbers growing in a greenhouse are sprayed with appropriate solutions every 7–10 days, in open ground - after each rain. Any product with a strong, pungent odor will do. He is very unpleasant to aphids.

onion peel (100 g per 2.5–3 liters of boiling water, leave for 24 hours); garlic (a head crushed into a pulp per liter of hot water, leave for 2-3 days, dilute with water 1:5 before use); hot pepper (30 g of finely chopped pods or 10–15 g of powder per 10 liters of water, leave for 24 hours); tobacco crumbs (it is advisable that the tobacco is grown independently, 200 g of dry leaves per 10 liters of water, leave for 2-3 days, add a liter jar of sifted wood ash before use); dandelion leaves or roots (pass 400–500 g through a meat grinder, add 5 liters of water, let stand for 2–3 hours, add 30–40 g mustard powder before use); tops of tomatoes or potatoes (200 g of crushed raw materials per 5 liters of water, leave for 10–12 hours, add 25–30 g of soda ash before spraying).

An infusion of onion peels, like other products with pungent odors, is an effective remedy against melon aphids.

Other methods of struggle

If time is lost and the pest has multiplied en masse, the most affected leaves and whole vines are cut off and burned as quickly as possible. The remaining plants in the greenhouse are fumigated with sulfur bombs, in the open ground they are sprayed with a solution of Karbofos (50 g per 10 liters of water) or dusted with colloidal sulfur powder.

When there is no effect, insecticides are used. Broad-spectrum drugs are mainly used against aphids - Inta-Vir, Fitoverm, Aktaru, Konfidor, Fufanon, Karate. Biological preparations - Biotlin, Iskra-Bio, Strela - cause less harm to plants (the fruits can be eaten 2-3 days after spraying). The solution for treating plants is prepared in strict accordance with the instructions given by the manufacturer in the instructions. The procedure is repeated every 4–7 days until the pest is completely destroyed. It is advisable to change medications at the same time.

Spicy herbs are a good protection against aphids. You can surround the beds or plant basil, coriander, lemon balm, mint, and dill mixed with bushes. Datura and henbane will also help, but they are very poisonous. Most of these plants are good honey plants and attract natural enemies of aphids - ladybugs - to the garden. By the way, if you wish, you can simply collect them somewhere and release them into a greenhouse or garden beds.

Inta-Vir is one of the most common broad-spectrum insecticides

Do not forget that aphids live in a stable symbiosis with ants.

The latter will also have to be fought. The top layer of soil (5–7 cm) is removed from anthills found near the bed and the soil is sprinkled with soda ash, mustard, hot pepper, boric acid, or the soil is spilled with a solution of special preparations, for example, Anteater or ordinary boiling water.

Preventing the appearance of onion flies

In order not to think about how to water plants eaten by the larvae of a parasitic insect, it is advisable to know about preventive measures against onion flies that will help prevent the appearance of the pest in your summer cottage.

One of the most effective preventive methods is the organization of crop rotation. The same crop cannot be planted in the same place for several years in a row. And if, for example, strawberries need to be replanted once every 4 years, then it is advisable to change the location of onions every year. You can plant onions in the same area once every 3-4 years. Planting companion crops

When planning planting, you need to take into account that each pest does not like certain odors. So, for example, the onion fly cannot stand the smell of carrots, so it is advisable to plant carrots next to onion crops

It’s better to alternate the beds, then the likelihood of onion flour appearing will be minimal. In addition, the carrot fly is afraid of the smell of onions. By planting vegetables close to each other, you will be able to repel 2 pests at the same time. In the fall you need to dig up the soil. Since the onion fly overwinters at a depth of 15-20 cm, you need to dig the soil deeply. Before planting, it is advisable to warm up all planting material at a temperature of 25°C, and immediately before planting, soak the bulbs in a solution consisting of a tablespoon of table salt and 1 liter of water. If necessary, you need to increase the amount of solution without changing the salt concentration. After 3 hours, you can take out the bulbs, rinse them well and dip them in a solution of potassium permanganate, then leave the planting material there for 2 hours. Watering, which is an integral part of plant care, should be done with herbal decoctions that repel pests. You should not water the plant with solutions every time, even if they do not contain chemicals. But 2 times a month it makes sense to water with means that protect against onion flies. After all, saving the crop is harder than preventing the appearance of a pest.

Harm from germ flies

The sprout fly itself does not cause direct harm to garden crops. Its larvae destroy plants, reducing the yield of fruit crops or the density of grain crops, since not only the stem itself can become a target for their attack.

This type of pest can be classified as a seed and seedling eater. If the larvae of the sprout fly attack already grown plants, then their main goal is to get to the juice.

As a result, the plant weakens and becomes susceptible to various diseases, because its immunity is undermined. In addition, the waste products of the larvae contribute to the occurrence of fungal diseases. Finally, they spread harmful viruses and bacteria.

How to treat cruciferous (black) flea beetle

The cruciferous flea beetle is a small (up to 3 mm) bug of black color and round shape, most often with a glossy shiny shell, shimmering green or blue. Pests become active already in mid-spring, when the air temperature rises to 12–15ºС. The larvae are not particularly picky, feeding on roots and greens. The leaves quickly turn into a sieve and dry.

The black flea beetle is easily identified by its long legs

The main thing in the fight against cruciferous flea beetle is to calculate the timing correctly. Early varieties of cucumbers are planted as early as possible (in April), late-ripening ones - later (in the second ten days of July). Thus, before the beginning of May or mid-August, when the massive appearance of these insects is noted, the cucumber bushes will have time not only to grow, but also to “coarse” slightly. The pest prefers young, soft leaves, so there is every chance that the flea will “pass by.”

The black flea beetle received its official name due to the fact that, until more suitable food becomes available, it feeds on weeds from the Cruciferous family (colts, shepherd's purse, wild radish). Therefore, you need to weed the beds regularly. Any covering material - spunbond, lutrasil, agrospan - will also be effective protection. It is advisable to pull it over the arcs and remove it when the bushes are strong enough.

The black flea beetle turns cucumber leaves into a real sieve

The black flea beetle is very sensitive to strong odors. Therefore, cucumbers in the greenhouse and in the open ground alternate with dill, garlic, basil, and coriander. The beds are surrounded by a “barrier” of marigolds, nasturtiums, calendula, and wormwood.

Folk remedies

The experience of many gardeners shows that the black flea beetle rarely attacks “dirty” plants.

Therefore, cucumber bushes, especially young ones, are regularly sprinkled with crushed chalk or activated carbon, sifted wood ash, tobacco dust, and hot pepper. The powder is poured into a gauze bag and shaken over the plants. It is best to carry out the procedure early in the morning, when the leaves are still wet. Mothballs are scattered in moderate quantities in the grooves between the bushes.

For spraying, use solutions of the following products:

Minced garlic and tomato tops. The raw materials are mixed in a ratio of approximately 1:1, pour 10 liters of warm water, and leave for 2–3 hours. The solution is filtered before use. Table (9%) vinegar. 200 ml per 10 liters of water. Stir thoroughly and can be used immediately. Potato tops. Grind 4 kg of raw materials and boil for 2–3 hours. Then the broth is cooled, filtered and diluted with water 1:1. Chicken droppings. Fresh raw materials are infused for 4–5 days until a characteristic odor appears. Then dilute with water 1:20 and spray the leaves. It is also an effective foliar feeding. Aromatic oils of any coniferous trees, tincture of Corvalol, valerian. 10–15 drops per bucket of water is enough.

An infusion of chicken manure is not only an effective remedy against black fleas, but also a useful supplement.

You can also hang “flags” made of fabric smeared with something sticky next to the bushes. In the hottest weather, it is useful to walk along the bed with such a trap, waving it so as to touch the leaves. Disturbed insects, jumping in different directions, stick to the fabric.

To combat the black flea, it is recommended to use used machine oil (they lubricate pieces of plywood or cardboard with it and leave it in the rows) or a regular vacuum cleaner. Early in the morning, when pests are least active, they can walk on the plants. Flea shampoo intended for pets (50 ml per 10 liters of water) is also successfully used.

Proper care is important.

Cucumbers need abundant watering (the black flea beetle does not like high humidity), proper fertilizing (nitrogen-containing fertilizers are needed - natural organic matter, ammonium nitrate, urea), and regular loosening of the beds.

Insecticides to combat black flea beetles are used only in case of massive insect attacks. Most of them (for example, Lightning, Decis) are quite toxic and destroy not only pests, but also young cucumber seedlings. The safest for humans are Arrivo, Aktara, Sherpa. Treatments are carried out in the late evening, when fleas accumulate on the leaves.

Insecticides against black flea beetles are used only as a last resort.

Chemical methods of control

Common methods of controlling cabbage fly using pesticides are considered the most commonly used option. It is an effective and quickly solving method for the summer resident. By contacting a specialized store, you can choose a huge number of means of exterminating this insect. By reviewing the arsenal of drugs and using insecticides, you can stop this insect using the following poisons:

1. Topaz is often used as a foliar spray against flies at the rate of one ampoule per bucket of water. This insecticide destroys cabbage fly larvae and the fly itself.
2. Karbofos is used in a 50% solution. Mix 20 grams of powder with 10 liters of water and treat the cabbage with the prepared solution. The repeated procedure should be repeated at intervals of 5 days with a weaker solution. This drug destroys the fly outright and prevents its reoccurrence. You can use it as a preventive measure followed by spraying.
3. With the help of modern Actellik, a broad-spectrum drug, it is used at the rate of 5 ml per 10 liters of water. It is a good tool in the fight against harmful insects. When using, please note that it has a specific odor and spraying with protective agents is recommended.

Additional methods

Almost any chemical remedy for midges on cabbage has a quick and lasting effect, but pesticides must be used with caution so as not to harm your own health

First of all, you need to pay attention to the part of the instructions that indicates the minimum harvest time after treatment with the selected drug. If there are fewer days left before the cabbage is ripe than required to neutralize the activity of the drug, its use should be abandoned.

The following will help you quickly remove fleas from cabbage:

• Actellik. Organophosphate preparation of contact-intestinal action, available in emulsion and powder. It will destroy the pest 20 minutes after application to the sprouts, and protects the beds from the appearance of new pests for a period of 7 to 14 days.
• Spark. Insecticide in the form of tablets for preparing an aqueous solution (1 tablet per 10 liters of water). You need to spray cabbage leaves with a freshly prepared solution.
• Initiative. A soil-based insecticide based on diazinon is effective against all pests, especially against black flea beetles, cabbage flies and other insects whose larvae overwinter and develop in the soil. The drug is applied to the soil (superficially) before planting cabbage seedlings in open ground. Pests die when trying to get closer to the sprouts.
• Decis Pro. This preparation is based on insecticides of the pyrethroid group, kills midges within an hour from the moment of treatment, is resistant to being washed off with water during rain and watering, and provides plants with protection for up to 15 days after a single treatment.
• Bankol. The drug has a wide spectrum and is effective against all pests of cabbage and other garden crops. Low toxicity to soil, plants and animals. It will help quickly get rid of pests and protect the sprouts for another 3 weeks after a single treatment.
• Angio. Systemic insecticide based on 2 components. Destroys pests almost instantly, affects both adult insects and larvae and eggs. Penetrates into the soil and destroys soil pests. It prevents insects from developing resistance to the active substances and protects the plantings for several weeks after treatment.
• Lightning. A fast-acting drug, effective against insects at all stages of development. The downside is relatively high toxicity. But the effect is almost lightning fast, the consumption rate is low, and the protective effect after treatment lasts for at least 3 weeks.

When working with toxic chemicals, it is necessary to observe personal safety measures: protect the skin, eyes and respiratory organs. While processing the beds, protective glasses, a gauze bandage over the mouth and rubber gloves are required.

Methods for combating leaf miners

Methods for controlling leafmining flies and moths at different stages of development of these insects vary.

Eggs are destroyed using paraffin-containing products. The larvae have many natural enemies. These are primarily parasites that lay their eggs in the larvae of leaf miners. However, they can only be used accurately and purposefully in greenhouses. Repeated spraying of plants with products containing pyrethrum is also effective.

The adult (final stage of development) of miners can be caught using sticky boards or products containing pyrethrum. It should be remembered that miners quickly become resistant to all pesticides.

Chestnut leaf affected by leaf miner. Georg Slickers

Natural methods of struggle

Remove affected leaves. Check the plants for gnawed passages and puncture marks. Cut off and destroy leaves.

Cover with non-woven cloth. Grow vegetables and flowers under non-woven fabric to prevent leaf miners from laying their eggs on them.

Spray with spring oil. Oil can only be used on plants with strong leaves.

Let riders into the greenhouse. You can purchase them at specialized gardening stores.

Control methods using insecticides

If a leafminer fly or moth is detected, insecticides should not be applied immediately. Use them only in case of particularly severe damage. Spray products containing pyrethrum are effective. However, spraying will have to be done several times in a row. Spray five to six times at three to five day intervals.

Flies and moths die after one single spraying. However, their larvae are more resilient. Insecticides often have no effect on pupae at all because in some species the pupation phase occurs in the ground. With very severe lesions, watering the soil with products containing pyrethrum brings some success.

Description, harm, methods of control

Let's take a closer look at the main types of midges on cucumbers and discuss what to do to combat them. If signs of midge infestation are detected, protective measures must be taken immediately. Sometimes you can get by only, and in some cases you will have to use chemicals.

Black midges (melon aphid)

Did you know?
Reproduction in aphids occurs by viviparity, that is, insects are born already pregnant.
The egg inside the mother begins to develop even before the mother herself is born, and after 10-15 days a new aphid is born again. So, let's discuss what to do when you find black midges on cucumbers and how to effectively deal with them.

Important!
To treat cucumber plants, first consider using biological products. These are the safest means for people. Already 2 days after spraying with biological products, the fruits can be safely eaten. When using insecticides, it is necessary to remember their toxicity. Therefore, they should be used at least 20 days before harvesting cucumbers. In addition, prolonged stay in a room where chemical treatment was carried out is dangerous. Do not carry out work without protective equipment: overalls, gloves, respirator, goggles.

White midges (whitefly)

Description.

(Aleurodid) is another dangerous pest of cucumbers.
The length of the whitefly ranges from 1.3-3 mm. These small plant enemies resemble miniature white moths
or small moth-like lepidoptera. Insects have 4 wings. The wings are covered with a white, flour-like dusty coating. The larvae are mobile, but as they develop they become immobile.

Subsequently, sooty mycelium develops and the surface of the leaf turns black. These sooty fungi are the main threat to plants. A stunting of shoot growth is often observed.

Let's figure out how to identify white midges and how to get rid of them. Eggs and larvae of pests can be easily detected on the foliage - they look like small grayish grains.

Methods of struggle.

The following are effective in the fight against whiteflies: “Verticillin”, “Mospilan”, “Pegasus”, “Fosbecid”. Use the medications as directed in the instructions.

To catch mature individuals, use glue baits. To do this, paint pieces of plywood yellow or white, then lubricate them with castor oil, Vaseline or rosin with. You can also use commercial fly traps.

Herbal infusions are used as folk remedies. An infusion of crushed garlic (150 g) poured into 1 liter of water is relatively effective against whiteflies. Infuse the liquid for 5 days under a tightly closed lid. Spray the bushes no more than 5 times a season.

Also try rinsing the bushes with clean water.

- Whiteflies are washed off well with water.

Harm.

feed on plant cells, causing damage. They can destroy plants in just 1-2 weeks. In addition, they infect the bushes with various bacteria.

The pest can be identified by yellowish dots on the foliage

. Then, from multiple lesions, the leaves turn white. Sometimes you can see a thin cobweb covering areas of bushes. Many colonies of parasites accumulate on the tops. If no action is taken, the leaves will dry out and fall off.

Miners can be found not only among Coleoptera or beetles, but also among butterflies, Lepidoptera, and Diptera insects. However, it is among lepidopteran species that there are the most miners. In many insects of this species, caterpillars begin to develop in mines, which is even more dangerous for the affected plant. Most often, the life of larvae and caterpillars takes place in the thickest part of the leaf blade.

The activity of miners is most noticeable on the leaves of flowering plants. The shape of the lesions can be serpentine, in the form of spots, or of a mixed nature. Mines can also be one-sided or two-sided, it all depends on the degree to which the leaf is eaten away.

Leaf miners on cucumbers

If you notice white dots on the leaves of a cucumber, then an infection with a leafminer has already occurred. If the number of points is small and there are no peculiar passages, it is enough to tear off the affected leaves and drip them in. It is good to use small boards or pieces of plastic, which should be painted yellow and coated with glue.

Leaf miners on cherry

If visible and frequent mining burrows appear on cherry leaves, you should remove the damaged leaves as much as possible, and if there are a lot of them, use organic insecticides that contain phosphorus. But it is worth remembering that biological or chemical agents should be used only in extreme cases. Yellow signs with glue must be present on trees. This color is attractive to insects, and once they stick, they will not be able to fly away.

Regular removal of fallen leaves will also help control these pests. Of course, it can be burned, but it is best to bury it in the ground deeper than 10-15 cm.

To protect trees from the invasion of mining insects, you can treat the trunk with mustard or rapeseed oil.

How to deal with leaf miners?

To combat leaf miners, products containing paraffin are most often used. Regular and frequent spraying of infected plants with a substance that includes pyrethrum will also help in such a fight. But this insecticide is harmful to health. Therefore, when using it, be sure to wear a mask and gloves. It is advisable to spray in the evening or in the morning. During the first spraying, as a rule, only adult insects die, but to destroy the larvae, repeated applications of the insecticide will be required: 5-6 times every 2-4 days.

Another control method is to remove damaged leaves. But this is easy to do when there are literally 2-3 min per 40-50 leaves. Cut infected leaves should be buried to a depth of at least 10 cm.

This video provides tips for controlling leaf miners.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_yQI_0CLnvY

If the infection occurs en masse, you will have to use chemical or biological means to combat such pests. This remedy is considered to be insect youth hormone. After its penetration into the mine, the larvae experience a hormonal imbalance, which leads to their death after 5-8 days.

Some gardeners recommend growing garden crops under non-woven fabric to prevent leafminer moths from laying their eggs.

If the strong leaves of the plant are affected, then spring crop oil can be used.

When greenhouse plants are damaged, natural fighters will help. Namely, riders. They are capable of laying eggs in the body of the larvae of leafminer moths and flies. You can breed them yourself by planting flowers in a greenhouse, or purchase them at specialized gardening stores.

Prevention of protection against miners

Prevention to protect plants from invasion of mining insects is:

1. in the greenhouse - cleaning and destruction with the help of chemicals of leaf miners that survived the winter in dried grass;
2. in the spring, hang yellow signs with glue;
3. use entomophages that are bred in water;
4. pluck leaves when miners are first discovered;
5. prevent the growth of weeds;
6. do not use the same pest control product for a long time (the larvae of leafminers adapt well to insecticides);
7. use products containing paraffin to destroy miner eggs;
8. cover young trees and crops with non-woven fabric;
9. Regularly spray the tree trunk with strong water pressure.

This video provides tips for controlling various garden pests. Be sure to leave your tips and tricks for the article.

How to deal with polyphagous miner

In order to prevent extensive damage to cultivated plants and crops by polyphagous leaf miners, it is necessary to exterminate adult flies and their larvae as soon as possible. For this purpose, purchased insecticides, folk recipes and special traps can be used.

In addition, it is necessary to take some preventive measures to prevent the pest from entering garden beds.

Using special traps against leafminers

This method is simple but very effective against flying leafminers. The main component of the traps is the sticky layer on which the fly falls and sticks securely.

You can purchase a ready-made insect trap at garden centers. They are produced in the form of orange tapes or rectangular pieces of thick paper, with a sticky layer applied to them. The gardener can only place traps in places where insects are spotted.

Some vegetable growers prefer to make such traps themselves. To do this they do the following:

• take a sheet of plywood, linoleum or fiberboard;
• painted yellow or orange;
• After the paint has dried, apply a layer of Vaseline or other adhesive to the surface.

Next, you just have to wait until the flies are firmly glued to the trap. As the adhesive dries or when there are a lot of insects on the trap, you need to throw away the old trap and hang a new one.

Manual collection

At the beginning of damage to cultivated plants, when there are still few mines, damaged leaves must be collected by hand until the mines disappear. It is better to burn the collected leaves. If this is not possible, then the affected leaves are buried deep in the ground. The larvae will not be able to get out from under the thick layer of soil.

Biological agents

In more advanced cases, when 1 or 2 mines have already formed on each leaf, you can treat the beds with biological products. The most popular of them is Dimilin. When it penetrates a mine, it causes hormonal imbalance in the larvae. About a week later, after treatment with such preparations, the larvae die.

Folk remedies against polyphagous miner

Of the folk remedies, gardeners most often use tobacco dust or shag. These substances should be used to pollinate vegetable beds. It is important, however, to remember that in this way you can only scare away a harmful insect, but not kill it.

Application of chemicals

To destroy polyphagous miners in agricultural enterprises and on household plots, insecticides belonging to two classes are used:

1. Organophosphorus preparations . The most commonly used drugs in this group are Zolon and BI-58; they have shown their effectiveness in practice, and therefore are in demand by vegetable growers. Treatments with these drugs are carried out in the fall, at a time when the pest is busy looking for shelter for the winter. These products are used by spraying.
2. Neonicotinoids . This includes such well-known drugs as Actellik, Aktara, Mospilan and Confidor. When spraying, you should try to get it not only on the plants, but also on the soil around it. The dose of the drug is determined according to the instructions attached to the chemical.

Important! We should not forget about the toxicity of chemicals. They should be processed using protective equipment and strictly follow the instructions.

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Leaf miners are insect pests that live inside the plant.

If passages are made on the leaves, then these are leaf miners, if on the stems - stem miners, etc.

You can see them in the passages on the sheets when the larvae of flies or moths become larger.

Leaf miners are brownish in color, 2-3 mm long.

Once inside the leaf, the larvae make tunnels for several days, after which the pupation process begins, which lasts about two weeks before the adult insect hatches.

They can live on both the upper and lower sides of the leaf.

Some types of leaf miners prefer certain plants. Can affect vegetables, shrubs and ornamental plants.

The shape of mines can be different: serpentine, spot-shaped and serpentine-spot-shaped. Miners are capable of transmitting pathogens.

If a butterfly, fly or bug lands on a leaf and leaves behind a bubble, then this is most likely a clutch of miner eggs.

Symptoms of plant damage by leaf miners

The first thing that should alert you is the puncture marks of female miners.

• Fruit trees: Cherry, apple and pear are usually affected. When trees are mined for several years, the crown and top of the tree may dry out. The mines are all shades of brown and have a serpentine or vesicular shape. If affected leaves are found, remove. To catch miners, hang small yellow boards.
• Flowers: Chrysanthemums, violets and zinnias are most affected. The mines can be various shades of beige with sinuous shapes or just patches. If found, remove the leaves and spray the plants with preparations that contain pyrethrum.

• Shrubs: Rose, rhododendron, holly are susceptible. They leave puncture points or winding passages. They are affected by different types of leaf miner. If found, remove leaves, spray with pyrethrum preparation, hang yellow boards for catching.
• Vegetables: The most common leaves that can be shed are lettuce, tomato and cucumber. The passages are gnawed out or light-colored puncture points. If detected, hang up yellow boards and send riders into the greenhouse, volunteer helpers. Iridescents can be purchased in specialized stores, or in order to have ichorids, you need to get plants, during the flowering of which they could feed on nectar. You can also find ichneumon wasps in fallen leaves, so if possible, collect leaves in an open area. There should not be heaps of fallen leaves under the trees, around the trunk, otherwise the trees lose their strength and humidity rises. Riders are only effective in a greenhouse! For prevention

Fighting leaf miner

To save plantings and crops, when infected with leaf miner flies, you need to do this as soon as possible. This will require treating plants with insecticidal preparations and catching flying insects using traps. In order to protect the crops grown in the garden in advance, you need to follow the prevention recommendations.

Traps

A simple but effective way to destroy flying miner flies is to use them covered with a sticky layer. One option is special tapes sold in hardware stores. They are hung on the site near the beds and in greenhouses. Some gardeners make their own trap by painting a sheet of plywood, chipboard, linoleum, etc. yellow and covering the surface with a sticky substance. For example, Vaseline or a specially prepared adhesive solution.

If the infestation is serious, then traps are not enough: it’s time to use chemicals.

Using pesticides

Two classes of insecticides are used against miner flies in agriculture, which have proven their effectiveness in practice:

1. Organophosphorus compounds: these are BI-58, Zolon and others. Treatments with these products are carried out with the onset of autumn, at a time when pests are looking for shelter for the winter. Typically, insecticides containing phosphorus are used to treat the trunks of fruit trees and bush branches by spraying.
2. Neonicotinoids: the popular “Aktara”, as well as “Confidor”, “Mospilan”, etc. They are suitable for small plants. They not only spray it, but also spill the soil all around.

It is important to remember the toxicity of these drugs, including for humans. Therefore, it is imperative to use protective equipment during work and follow the instructions for the product. It is recommended to pay special attention to the time frame within which the processing will be safe for vegetables and fruits.

If measures are taken in time, the leafminer fly will not have time to destroy a significant part of the leaves. Therefore, you need to regularly inspect the sediments, and at the first “alarm bells”, begin to act actively.

It never happens that everything is fine in the garden. Yesterday Dasha, jumping from the refrigerator, knocked over a pot of strawberries, and she, the strawberries, were already in full bloom and tying berries. Moreover, I grew it from a seed, and sowed it seemingly late, and overwatered it at first, but still achieved a harvest. There will be flowers for now, but there will also be berries, I have no doubt about it.

And all sorts of pests fly into my balcony garden. Not that much, but it happens. One of the last guests who left its mark on history and in my garden is the leafminer fly. It looks like an ordinary fly, only 2 millimeters tall. But these are the consequences it leaves:

This fly lays eggs in the leaf blade; in my case, cucumbers were attacked. Then the larva hatches from the egg and begins to crack the leaves with appetite, leaving such beautiful passages. An artist, you understand... I would strangle the reptile) And then a new fly hatches from the larva and the process repeats. At the end of the larva's movement, a yellow dot is visible - a pupa lived there, from which a new fly hatched.

In case of massive damage, the leaves die. Therefore, you need to crush the reptile in the bud. To do this, you need to use insecticides such as Actellica or Fitoverma. To begin with, I prefer to use preparations made from bio-based materials, such as Fitoverm. In the store, when you choose a treat for the pest, read the instructions about the fact that the drug is obtained from biological raw materials; there are now a lot of such drugs besides Fitoverm. Such poisons are characterized by a very short waiting period - 2-3 days, which is very important for early ripening products, such as cucumbers. If biological drugs do not help, then you can use heavy artillery, such as Actellica, but I do not use such drugs. I think it’s better to destroy the plantings and end the season than to poison yourself and your loved ones.

Well, lest you think that I’m done with cucumbers, here is the last photo of my garden cucumber plantings. Every 2-3 days we collect 3-4 cucumbers for salad.

This is confirmed by the fiery dance of Dashka the gardener, rejoicing at the new harvest.