The scale insect appears unexpectedly on the plum tree, quickly attacking the tree. From this moment, fruit trees begin to lose energy and gradually stop growing. Fruits, flowers, buds begin to fall off. The leaves curl and become covered with a sticky coating. How to defeat a small insect that can destroy the entire crop? Methods of pest control and measures to protect plants from scale insects.
How to recognize an insect?
The scale insect is a small insect no more than 5 mm long, covered with a kind of shell.It is difficult to see with the naked eye; the pest is small, motionless, its color matches the bark of trees, it is omnivorous and is a parasitic insect that feeds on plant juices.
Entomologists identify more than 2,000 species of scale insects. The greatest dangers for plum trees are:
- Californian;
- comma-shaped;
- plum.
Insects reproduce by laying eggs, from which larvae subsequently emerge. One female lays more than 100 eggs during her life.
Sex differences in these insects are pronounced. Males are not similar to females and do not cause any harm to orchards. Males resemble midges and have wings. They circle around plants in search of females, without sticking to the leaves and bark of trees.
Females spend their entire lives in trees, lay eggs and feed on plant juices, creating colonies that look like growths on the bark. They have no wings, no legs, no whiskers, and no eyes either.
There are bisexual scale insects; such varieties are more difficult to fight; they are resistant to many types of influences.
Reasons for appearance
Weakened plants are most often infected. Factors that can lead to the disease include:
- excess nitrogenous fertilizers;
- lack of lighting, shaded area;
- lack of moisture;
- lack of ventilation and dry air.
Plums should be regularly inspected for signs of disease and pests. The initial stage of the disease is treated quickly and effectively; irreversible changes have not yet occurred on the tree. At this stage, the crop can be saved.
Damage to plums
Scale insects are parasitic insects that live off the vital forces of the trees on which they settle. Every day the plants begin to lose energy and eventually stop growing.
The damage caused to plums by these insects is enormous:
- The branches of the plums begin to dry out and the leaves stick together.
- The sticky coating created by scale insects serves as a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi.
- Plums shed fruits and buds.
- Tree immunity is reduced.
- The bark becomes cracked.
If you let the situation take its course, the plum will die. Parasites spread quickly to other plants; the entire orchard, including various fruit trees, can be infected. Pest control must begin immediately.
External signs of pest damage
Trees attacked by scale insects have a number of signs:
- The bark acquires a characteristic shine.
- The leaves curl, dry out and stick together.
- The plant stops growing.
- The plum begins to shed its fruits and buds.
- On the leaves and stems you can see small brown tubercles that are difficult to clean off the surface.
The choice of pest control methods depends on the number of affected areas.
How to deal with scale insects
The insect is resistant to low temperatures, able to withstand frosts down to -35 0C. The protective shell protects the scale insects from external influences. The fight against this pest cannot be called easy. If the scale of infection is large, the use of insecticides cannot be avoided. Methods of combating scale insects that have settled on plums depend on the degree of damage to plants.
Chemicals
Insecticides can completely destroy scale insects. But they are used in advanced cases. Do not use chemicals during the fruiting period. Pesticides will get into ripe fruits, which will become unsuitable for food.
Important! A one-time treatment with insecticides is not enough.3-4 sprayings are carried out with a break of one week.
“Aktara”, “Confidor Extra”, “Aktellik” are proven chemicals against insect pests. Scale insects are capable of developing immunity to drugs, so it is recommended to change them periodically.
Biological drugs
If an insect was noticed on plums during the fruiting period, pesticides cannot be used; biological methods of pest control are used:
- Remove all infected branches and shoots and burn them.
- The root circle is completely cleared of grass, shoots and fallen leaves, 3 cm of soil is removed and the tree is sprinkled with wood ash.
- The formed growths along with moss and pieces of bark are removed from the trunk.
You can find biological products on store shelves; they are safe for fruits and show good results in pest control:
- "Avertin";
- "Nemabakt";
- "Fitoverm";
- "Aversectin".
The garden is under quarantine. Until the insect is defeated, it is not recommended to plant new fruit trees.
Folk recipes
Traditional methods of combating scale insects are effective only at the initial stage of infection, but they can be used during the period of plum fruiting:
- Dissolve half a piece of laundry soap in 10 liters of water and wipe the bark and leaves with the solution.
- Dilute soda ash in a ratio of 10 g of powder per 10 liters of water, spray the plants with the solution through a spray bottle.
- Onion peels, tobacco and wormwood - infuse fragrant herbs for 24 hours in a bucket of water. The resulting product must be filtered and sprayed on trees affected by scale insects.
Experienced gardeners release insects onto the affected trees that feed on scale insects: ladybugs and ichneumon beetles.This method is perfect for preventing and protecting plants from small pests.
Prevention measures
Any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. This rule applies not only to humans, but also to plants. Prevention methods include:
- Spraying trees in early spring and during flowering with insecticides.
- Removing heavily infected, untreatable specimens from the garden.
- Introduction of quarantine for the period of illness.
- Careful inspection of new seedlings.
- Settling on a plum tree with ladybugs.
Carrying out a set of preventive measures minimizes the risk of plant infection.
Scale insects are insidious and voracious insects. You should get rid of them immediately. If the degree of infection is high and the scale insect does not go away for a long time, the diseased tree is removed from the garden, part of the surface soil is removed and taken away from the garden plot.
