Every summer resident expects to get as much quality harvest as possible from his garden, putting a lot of effort into this. After planting, the seedlings are groomed and nurtured. And the long-awaited harvest has to wait several years. But the joy of the appearance of the first fruits can be overshadowed by caterpillars. Very often, a silkworm settles on an apple tree and immediately begins to eat buds, flowers, leaves and damage the fruits. Therefore, every gardener should know methods of pest control.
Description of the pest
Numerous pests pose a threat to the garden. The most dangerous insect for apple trees is the silkworm. Adults are adult individuals and do not cause harm to plantings. The female lives only a few weeks.During this period, they manage to lay about a thousand eggs. The egg clutch is not afraid of frost, so during the winter period embryos are actively formed. In spring, caterpillars appear. They pose a great threat to plantings and are capable of migrating over long distances. Caterpillars are very voracious and eat most of the tree:
- kidneys;
- leaves;
- flowers;
- fruit;
- some individuals eat the bark.
Just after hatching, the larva is covered with small fluff with a large number of bubbles. Thanks to this, gusts of wind easily carry the pest over a distance. In a month, one hundred larvae can damage most of the plant, so the fight must be started immediately.
Description:
- The wings of the butterfly are colored brownish-yellowish. Their span is 3.2-4.2 centimeters.
- The maximum caterpillar length is 5.5 centimeters. The color is bluish-gray with white, blue and orange stripes along the body.
How to fight: methods
Silkworms on an apple tree pose a great danger. The best control measure is prevention. Proper measures help protect plants from pests. Methods:
- Mechanical removal of masonry. This is the easiest way. To do this, periodically inspect the plantings, checking for the presence of nests. Detected laid eggs are scraped out and burned. You can also bury them in the ground to a depth of more than half a meter. It is necessary to wear gloves when removing clutches, as there are hairs on the surface of the eggs that can cause allergies..
- Another effective measure is collecting caterpillars. To do this, glue traps are wrapped around the trunk. Caterpillars, moving around the plant, fall into a trap from which they cannot escape. You can also collect insects with your hands. Before the procedure, be sure to wear gloves.Pest hairs can cause ulcers and redness.
- Old apple trees are treated with active compounds for prevention. This method is not recommended for young plantings.
- During the flowering period, the cocoons are destroyed. This prevents the emergence of adults, which ultimately reduces the population.
- Spraying with insecticides. A better and more effective way has not yet been invented.
How to deal with pests is up to everyone to decide for themselves. To choose the optimal method, it is necessary to consider the effective options in more detail.
Biological products
Use:
- "Dendrobacillin". A fast-acting remedy whose validity is limited to a few hours.
- "Lipidocide." Sprayed during the growing season. Interval - 8 days. A maximum of 5 liters is consumed per adult plant.
- "Entobacterin". Can be used at temperatures from +20 degrees and above.
- "Bitoxybacillin". Spray at intervals of 8 days during the growing season. During the flowering period, processing is prohibited.
The listed preparations are suitable for treating plantings during the appearance of caterpillars. Be sure to re-treat 8 days after the first treatment.
Insecticides
If the planting is attacked en masse by pests, then insecticides will help to cope:
- "Zolon";
- "Antio";
- "Metation";
- "Karbofos";
- "Phosfamide."
The proposed preparations are treated when the caterpillars begin to rise into the crown and after the end of insect migration. At the time of flowering, treatment is prohibited, since the chemical harms beneficial insects that pollinate the inflorescences.
At the beginning of the spring period, it is allowed to process “Verin-ENZh”. It is a viral drug and is not suitable for use at the time of fruit formation.Until the kidneys appear, Nitrafen is used.
Traditional methods
At the time of fruit set and ripening, it is recommended to use harmless control options. Best methods:
- Coniferous concentrate is used to repel. To do this, add 4 tablespoons of concentrate to a 10-liter bucket of water. Spraying is allowed several times. They also use an infusion of rotted hay, mustard, wormwood, and tomato tops.
- If pests have settled in the crown, a strong stream of water will help knock them off the plant. The insects are then collected from the ground and destroyed.
- Birds effectively destroy silkworms. To attract more birds to the site, birdhouses are placed on the territory.
To preserve plantings, it is important to detect silkworms in time and apply the necessary measures.
