How to deal with scale insects on currants using folk and chemical means

One of the pests of currants is the scale insect. She lives by feeding on the juice of leaves and shoots. The plant becomes infected through the soil, planting material, and wind. To save fruit bushes and the berry harvest, you need to know how to deal with scale insects on currants, and not only on them.

External description of the parasite and vital features

More than 2.5 thousand species from the scale insect family are known. The parasite is so small, no more than 4 mm, that it is difficult to examine it without a magnifying glass.

The insect has a waxy shell on its body. It consists of larval skins and secretory gland. The shape of scale insects is different: round, oval, pear-shaped. The type and sex of the insect are determined by color: pure white, gray, bright yellow, lemon. A distinctive feature is immobility, since the scale insects do not have wings and legs (in females).

The body of the female is shorter than that of the male, no more than 2 mm. It hides under a chitinous shield and takes on the color of a plant. Females change not only color, but body shape and length.

The male's body is oval, elongated. The color changes from gray to yellowish-dark, almost black. A transverse dark stripe crosses its carapace. The male has legs and wings, unlike the female. It moves and flies short distances. Under the magnifying glass his red eyes are visible.

Males die after mating.

Scale insect larvae go through more than one developmental stage.

1. Insects are “vagrants”. Just born, with a gray oblong body. Without a magnifying glass, a gardener will not see them. At this time, scale insect larvae must feed well, so the size of their mouth sometimes exceeds the length of their body.
2. Nymphs. Intermediate form. The body becomes oval, its color darkens, and a scutellum develops.

A fertilized female lives for about 3 months, feeds on plant sap, then lays eggs (up to 600 eggs). In females, the end of the shell is rounded and elongated, where she carries eggs. After laying eggs, the female dries out, and the eggs do not die in any weather conditions, even harsh ones.

Classification of insects

There are many varieties of scale insects.They cause great harm to currant bushes and fruit trees.

Willow scale loves currants and gooseberries. There is so much of it that the bush seems to be covered with scabs. The shield aphid does not disdain other trees:

• poplar;
• willow;
• aspen

Males differ from females by being bright red in color.

The female has a whitish-gray pear-shaped shield on her body. In the male it is elongated, it has 2 grooves, membranous wings, legs, and thread-like whiskers.

Red wandering larvae quickly spread across currant branches. Having chosen a convenient place for feeding, they pierce the shoot with their mouth and suck the juice. Then the larva does not move, develops, molts 2 times, and does not shed its skin. They form the protection of the body - the shield. The mature individual continues to live and feed under the shield, and the male throws it off, revealing wings under it.

The cushion or birch false scale infects many plants, among them:

• red and black currants;
• gooseberry;
• Rowan;
• bird cherry;
• hazel;
• birch.

A yellow-green female with an oval, slightly convex body, no more than 5 mm long. She has a white egg sac on the back. Parasites attach to leaves, shoots, and fruits, causing the plant to dry out and die.

Pests of garden trees and shrubs:

• purple shield aphid;
• pear scale insects: yellow and red;
• comma-shaped
• euonymus.

There are many other types.

Where do scale insects spend the winter?

Many harmful insects, including scale insects, overwinter in the bark of trees. The larvae hide both outside and under the bark, in cracks.

The female lays red oval eggs, which overwinter under the shield of the withered female. Up to a hundred future parasites live under each shell. At the beginning of summer, red tramps crawl through the currants and attach to the shoots, trunk, and leaves.After 2 moults, they become adult females who are able to lay new eggs.

The cushion plant overwinters on branches, at the base of bushes, under the skin. The eggs of the comma scale insect are hidden in cracks in the bark, under the shell of females that have dried out in the fall.

A pest of plums, gooseberries, currants, white acacia, maple, the acacia false scale insect hides red-orange larvae for the winter on branches, on the inside, in places of branches, near the buds. The egg laying looks like flour or white powder.

Mature scale insects do not leave the winter place, settle on the trunk or branches of the plant, and feed on its juices. Even before the start of summer, anxious males think about their offspring. When mating, they throw off their protective shell and die. During the period of transformation into nymphs, a chitinous shield is formed on the body of the larvae. After its appearance, the parasite is not afraid of any drug.

Causes of pests

Infection of garden trees and fruit bushes with scale insects will lead not only to crop loss, but also to the death of plants. Dangerous parasites will eat more than one bush in a few years.

Reasons for appearance:

• purchase of infected seedlings;
• contaminated soil;
• rain, wind, animals moving around the garden.

If plants are found to be infested with scale insects, nurseries are subject to quarantine and the sale of seedlings is prohibited.

To avoid purchasing an infected bush or seedling, it is advisable to purchase them from trusted manufacturers or nurseries.

How to recognize a pest: external signs of currant damage

Insect pests may not be noticed. It is advisable to inspect currant bushes with a magnifying glass. This is how the larvae hidden at the base of the bushes and traces of their vital activity are visible:

1. In the initial stage of infection, brown spots appear on the foliage. They increase in size, the leaves curl and dry out.
2. The surface of the leaves and shoots is sticky, shiny, as if smeared with honey. When these signs appear, it is too late to fight the shield aphid, since it has become covered with a protective shield.
3. A gray coating appears on trunks, branches, and shoots due to a lack of nutritious juices. The growth and development of plants is inhibited, the leaves become smaller and dry out.
4. The process of photosynthesis stops, the plant “does not breathe.”
5. Dried leaves fall off prematurely and the bark cracks.

What damage does it cause to currant plantings?

Scale insects, feeding on the juice of the currant bush, do not leave nutrients for the growth and development of the plant itself. Photosynthesis stops. The foliage and shoots dry out, the plant weakens, and sticky insect secretions contaminate the bush.

First, part of the plant is damaged. If measures are not taken to combat the parasite, this will lead to the death of the currant bush, and the pest will choose a new habitat - another currant or gooseberry bush. In 2-3 years, the scale insect will destroy more than a dozen fruit bushes if you do not fight it.

How to fight insects

To save the currant harvest and prevent the bushes from dying, it is necessary to take urgent measures to combat the parasite. It is advisable not to miss the moment when the scale insect is vulnerable (without a shield), it is easier to destroy it. Events are held in the complex. They use all methods of struggle.

Agrotechnical techniques

The importance of agricultural methods in the fight against parasites can hardly be overestimated, since correct, timely agricultural techniques reduce the risk of diseases and plant death.

The use of agrotechnical measures in combination creates conditions for the healthy development of beneficial plants and the death of harmful insects and weeds:

1. Hilling up fruit bushes is one of the main preventive measures against scale insects.In late autumn, the bushes are prepared for wintering, they are hilled up, and in early spring the earthen piles are leveled.
2. When scale insects are found on currant bushes, the affected plants are separated from healthy ones. For this purpose, they are covered with polyethylene.
3. Carefully inspect the remaining bushes. Then they are treated with chemicals.

Chemicals are powerless against mature insects, since the bodies of the parasites are protected by a shield.

They use the old fashioned method - they collect scale insects manually, using a toothbrush, sponge, and cotton pad for convenience.

Prepare a strong soap solution. Wet the sponge and wipe all affected parts of the plant: leaves, shoots.

Chemicals

It is impossible to defeat scale insects without the use of chemicals. There is a wide selection of drugs against shield aphids in stores. The most effective, according to gardeners:

• "Apache";
• "Colorado";
• "Aktara";
• "Tanrek";
• "Mospilan".

How to use the product is indicated in the instructions or on the packaging. Currant bushes are treated at least three times during the summer season. Hormonal and organophosphorus agents are used against the pad: “Iskra”, “Aktellik”, “Alatar”, “Admiral” and others.

The manufacturer does not recommend using these drugs for people prone to allergies, as they contain active substances that can cause an allergic reaction.

Folk remedies

All means are good in the fight against parasites in the garden. The folk ones, which grandparents used quite successfully, will also not be out of place:

1. A solution of soap and oil. Take 1 part laundry soap, 3 parts vegetable oil. The leaves and shoots of the currant bush are thoroughly washed with the solution. After 10 hours, the bushes are washed off with water.Currants are treated with a soap-oil solution 2-3 times at weekly intervals.
2. Garlic tincture. Chop 12 cloves of garlic, add a glass of water and leave for 48 hours. The solution is filtered through cheesecloth, wiped or sprayed on the currants.
3. Pepper tincture. It is prepared from 50 g of pepper. Pour two glasses of water over the pepper and boil. The solution is cooled and infused for 24 hours. Then 10 ml of tincture is added to 1 liter of water, and 5 g of soap is grated there. Currant bushes are sprayed with liquid.
4. Tobacco tincture. 85 g of tobacco is poured into 1 liter of boiling water. Leave for 24 hours, filter, add 1 liter of water. Currant bushes are washed or sprayed with the solution.

Recipes from the people are safe, but less effective. If the results are not visible, you cannot do without chemistry.

Prevention

It is easier to prevent a scale insect attack than to get rid of parasites:

1. Spraying currant bushes with Karbofos before flowering is a preventive measure to prevent attacks by scale insects. The drug does not destroy eggs, but mature insects can no longer be on the treated bushes.
2. The insecticidal "Karbofos" is effective for two weeks, the pests will not be able to feed on the plant sap during this time, they will die.
3. Currant bushes are sprayed with tincture on the needles and peels of citrus fruits. The stronger the tincture, the more effective the spraying.

Preventive measures are carried out in a complex:

• timely watering;
• fertilization;
• preparation for winter;
• crown thinning;
• pruning diseased, broken branches.

Proper care of currants will prevent scale insects from entering the garden.

Spray currants in the morning or after sunset. And it doesn’t matter what kind of drugs: chemicals or folk tinctures.

Choosing resistant currant varieties

The set of measures to combat scale insects includes the selection of seedlings that are resistant to parasites. Viable, healthy currant bushes are less likely to be attacked by pests.

Frequency of treatments

Currants begin to be processed in early spring. Scale insect larvae are born, actively grow and develop. At the end of spring, males look for a female and fly around the garden.

The spring months are an important stage in the fight against parasites:

1. The first time is treated before the buds swell.
2. Before flowering, in the bud formation phase.
3. When the currant bush fades.
4. Traditional methods of treatment are used at intervals of 7-10 days (2-3 times).

Natural enemies

The scale insect has dangerous enemies. It is delicious and their main delicacy:

• prospaltella;
• ladybug.

Although Prospaltella feeds on shield aphids, it itself harms fruit trees, such as pear and apple trees.

Ladybug kills up to 75% of garden scale insects. About 700 shield aphids make up the menu of one ladybug per season.

Birds: blue tit and great tit do not disdain to feed on scale insects.

Scale insects are a parasite that can cause serious damage to crops and garden plantings. The main thing in the fight against insects is not to waste time. Proper garden care and pest control guarantee a generous harvest.