How to get rid of and fight aphids on zucchini, how to treat them

Gardeners who first discovered aphids on zucchini do not know what to treat the plants with. To protect them, chemicals, folk remedies, and manual collection of pests are used. The result of these actions can be improved if timely prevention against insect infestation is carried out. After all, they can calmly survive the winter, feed on weeds, and in the summer move onto the leaves of zucchini and suck the juice out of them.

Reasons for appearance

Zucchini is most often affected by melon aphids.Its larvae spend the winter among weeds, and with the onset of spring, at temperatures above +12 °C, they begin to actively reproduce. First, the pests feed on weeds, then move on to vegetable crops. Aphids develop well with the onset of warm and humid weather.

The following signs will help you recognize an attack by these insects:

• curled foliage;
• dried buds;
• light discarded aphid shells and sticky slurry;
• many larvae on the back of the leaf;
• the appearance of a large number of ants in the greenhouse.

Pests contaminate the surface of zucchini foliage, disrupting their development and nutrition.

What does aphid look like on zucchini?

Aphids colonize bushes from July-August. Outwardly, it is dark green, and can even be black. The length of the pests ranges from 1.5 to 2 mm. They feed on the juice from the leaves, which immediately begin to curl, and the flowers and ovaries fall off. Insects live on zucchini leaves in colonies, capable of growing very quickly and dotting all the foliage.

Processing methods

Gardeners decide what to spray with zucchini after discovering many pests. But it is better to prevent their development long before sowing the plants. In the fall, the remains from the harvest are burned, and fires are lit in the beds where aphids were found.

You should not plant the same crops in the same place every year. Between them it is worth planting plants whose smell will repel pests. It is recommended to dig up the soil twice - in autumn and spring.

In the open ground

Failure to take timely measures to destroy insects leads to the cessation of vegetable growth. Aphids carry pathogenic microbes that infect the entire crop. There are several methods to combat aphids:

1. The larvae are collected by hand, diseased leaves and flowers are removed and burned, glue traps are placed, and the pests are washed off with water.
2. Plants that are loved by hover flies, earwigs, and lacewings are planted nearby. Bird feeders are placed in the garden area.
3. Complex fertilizers are applied, plants are regularly watered and weeded.
4. Zucchini is treated with chemicals.
5. Vegetable crops are sprayed with herbal infusions, solutions with ash, soap or soda.

Attention! For planting, you should select varieties of zucchini that are more resistant to aphid invasion (Aeronaut, Parthenon, Gribovsky). Their dense, dark green leaves are less susceptible to pests.

In the greenhouse

Greenhouse zucchini requires protection in the form of prevention. Its methods include compliance with standards for fertilizing, maintaining optimal humidity up to 80% and temperature up to 25 ° C, and thoroughly eliminating weeds.

In the greenhouse you need to remove a 5-centimeter layer of soil. Experts recommend changing greenhouse soil completely every 5 years. Glass parts should be washed with copper sulfate, wooden parts should be whitened. Inside you need to light a sulfur bomb.

Attention! Before you try to kill aphids in your greenhouse, you need to get rid of the ants.

Drugs

There are many good products available today. Their correct use will protect the area and destroy insects within 24 hours. The procedure is carried out when there is no rain or wind, as the poison can be washed away or blown away.

Chemical

You can treat zucchini with chemicals. When plants are actively growing, it is allowed to spray them with a 1% solution of copper sulfate.

How to treat plants is up to gardeners to decide.But if the vegetable crop is heavily infested with aphids, it is effective to use Karbofos, Aktara, Tanrek, Kinmiks. The solution is prepared before use. It is important to observe a time period of 20 days between processing and harvesting.

Folk remedies

Among experienced gardeners, the following infusions are most common to help get rid of insects:

1. Wood ash (2 cups), laundry soap (70–100 grams), water (10 liters).
2. Tobacco (50 grams), soap (10 grams), hot water (1 liter).
3. Onion (70–90 grams) or garlic (40–60 grams), warm water (10 liters).
4. Celandine (1 kilogram), boiling water (2-3 liters) - later hot water (7-9 liters).
5. Yarrow (800–900 grams), boiling water (2 liters), hot water (8 liters).
6. Green dandelion leaves (400–500 grams), hot water (10 liters).
7. Tomato tops (1 kilogram), water (10 liters). Needs to boil. Then dilute up to 3 times.
8. Potato tops (fresh - 1200 grams, dry - 60–80 grams), water (10 liters).

Will fertilizer help against aphids?

Zucchini with elastic, strong and dense leaves resist pests well. In order for plants to gain strength, regular watering and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are necessary. The following complex fertilizers will help increase the resistance of vegetable crops:

1. Agricola-5 increases resistance to diseases and bad weather. The preparation can be sprayed on the roots and foliage 5 times a year. The advantage of fertilizer is its environmentally friendly composition.
2. Zdraven Turbo helps to perfectly absorb nutrients. Watering the roots is used every 2 weeks. The product contains many useful substances.
3. A clean leaf accelerates plant development and resistance to infections and insects.Fertilizer can be applied dry, or in the form of a solution under the root or on the foliage. The advantage of the fertilizer is its compatibility with organic preparations.
4. Multiflor builds the crop's immunity, increases growth, and nourishes the roots. It is used in the form of root and foliar dressings. The advantage of use is low consumption and complete absorption of all elements.

Precautionary measures

For the safe use of folk remedies and chemicals, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• use personal protective equipment - gloves, closed clothing, respirator;
• do not exceed the indicated dosage;
• do not eat vegetables for 10 days after spraying.

The main mistakes when fighting aphids

To effectively fight insects, you must follow these rules:

1. Unnecessary plants must be removed from greenhouses. After all, aphids especially like to use weeds for wintering.
2. When buying seedlings, you should first check them for pests. Otherwise, there is a risk of introducing aphids into the area yourself.
3. Nitrogen fertilizers, useful for the growth of the green part, do not need to be applied in excessive quantities. Too strong foliage can attract other unpleasant parasites.
4. There is no need to plant zucchini near bird cherry, viburnum and linden. Aphids also choose these crops for wintering.

Aphids on zucchini are not easy to defeat. The combination of all available methods can protect plants from the proliferation of pests. If you carry out prevention in the fall and spring and follow the rules of control, you may not encounter these insects in your garden at all.