Pests cause a lot of troubles to the gardener: plant productivity decreases, the risk of disease increases, winter hardiness worsens, bushes weaken, which can lead to their death.
To successfully combat parasites, folk remedies are often used. First of all, you need to figure out what kind of pest settled on a strawberry bed.
Weevil: How to Recognize a Pest
Strawberry weevil - This is one of the dangerous pests that affect strawberry plantations. Noticing it is very difficult, due to its very tiny size. Its body reaches a length of about 3 mm. The beetle got its name for a thin curved proboscis. It has been parasitizing since the beginning of spring, when the temperature rises to +13 degrees, so early strawberry varieties cause the greatest harm. It feeds not only on the green leaves of the plant, but also on flower buds and fruits. This small insect can destroy more than 50% of the crop.
Female weevil is able to lay eggs for 1.5 months. To do this, she makes a hole in the flower bud and lays one egg there, then she makes her way to the other buds. During the mating period, the female is able to lay up to 50 eggs. Affected buds fall off.
Larvae develop within 20 days. During this period, they feed inside the strawberry bud. Next, the pupation process takes place. The beetle comes to light in a few weeks. The younger generation will also eat the buds of different varieties of dugout until it goes to winter. During the season, the female gives one generation of young animals.
It is possible to determine that weevil settled on strawberry beds by characteristic signs:
• Fracture of the base of the bud;
• Fall of peduncles;
• Small holes in young leaves.
Spring Strawberry Processing
When using chemicals to treat plantings, one must remember that aggressive substances that are part of them destroy not only the pest, but also beneficial insects: ground beetles, bees. Among other things, the use of chemistry is harmful to human health. But if time is lost, and alternative methods of struggle do not help, then you need to spray with biological drugs.
First of all, all damaged buds need to be collected and burned, which will prevent the spread of the parasite. Further, in early May, it is necessary to carry out processing with biological products: Iskra, Askarin, Fitoverm. The substances that make up the preparations are completely absorbed by plants within three hours. After processing, the protection of the strawberries from the weevil lasts several weeks.
In case of severe damage, re-treatment is carried out in the fall, after a full harvest. For it, insecticides are used: Actellik, Karbofos, Gordon, Corsair. Spraying should be carried out in the morning, which will reduce the risk of killing beneficial insects.
Folk remedies for processing strawberries from weevil
Many gardeners are opposed to the use of chemistry in their areas, which positively affects the quality of the crop. In this case, you need to use folk remedies to combat parasites.
1. In early spring, after cleaning the beds, the bushes are treated with hot water, the temperature of which is 70 degrees. This treatment contributes to the destruction of most wintering pests.
2. During the budding period, it is useful to spray strawberries with infusion of laundry soap and mustard. To do this, 200 grams of ground soap and 200 mustard powder are diluted in 10 liters of water.
3. The most time-consuming method is manual collection. But it can significantly reduce the number of the young generation of weevils. Before the procedure, you need to lay a film between the rows, which will simplify the collection of beetles.
4. In the fight against weevil, tansy infusion helps well. For its preparation, 1.5 kg of freshly chopped plant stems are used, which are poured with 5 liters of water and insisted for several days. After which the solution is boiled for 30 minutes, filtered and 5 liters of cold water are added. In the finished infusion add 50 grams of crushed laundry soap. Spraying is carried out in the evening.
5. Many gardeners noted the effect of the infusion of red capsicum. It is prepared from 1 kg of fresh pepper pods and 10 liters of water. Peppers are insisted for two days in a sealed container. After which the infusion is boiled for 10 minutes, after 48 hours, the finished infusion is filtered. Store the finished solution in bottles with tightly closed lids.
6. Do not forget about the helpers plants that scare away the weevil. In the rows of strawberries, you can plant onions, garlic. Plant residues from these crops can be composted directly on the beds.
7. Good results in the fight against parasites shows tobacco-garlic infusion, which is prepared from garlic arrows and tobacco.
8. Experienced gardeners use the infusion of celandine and onion peel. For this, the third part of the glass container is filled with onion husks and celandine at the rate of 1 part of the grass and 2 parts of the husk. Further, the container is poured with hot water and insisted for one day, after which it can be sprayed. The first treatment with this solution is carried out during the flowering of strawberries, the second - after two weeks.
9. In addition to all the above methods, you can prepare traps from weevils, falling into which the beetle will not be able to get out and die. How to make traps: 250 grams of sugar, 100 yeast are added to 1 liter of water and left to ferment in a warm place. The finished solution is poured into bottles with a narrow neck and placed along the tracks. You need to change the bait every three days throughout the entire period of activity of the beetle.
Strawberry Weed Prevention Methods
Everyone knows that it is easier to prevent bushes from attack by a pest than to fight a parasite. Some agricultural practices will help reduce the number of pests and exaggerate the crop.
• First of all, beetles attack neglected strawberry beds, which are not properly maintained: weeding, thinning, harvesting old bushes and all plant debris. Therefore, strawberry planting must be kept clean.
• To destroy pests that went for the winter, the autumn digging of the soil around the bushes will help.
• Mowing foliage after harvesting helps to destroy most of the weevils.
• Observing the rules of agricultural technology, you can not plant strawberries next to raspberries, as this ensures the relocation of the beetle.
• Growing strawberries under black covering material reduces the damage to berries by the weevil. In the spring, a microclimate is created under the film that has a detrimental effect on the parasite.
Observing all the rules for growing strawberries, and using folk remedies, you can scare away not only the weevil, but also most of the pests. Many infusions help fight such an insidious disease as gray rot. In addition, decoctions do not harm insect pollinators and preserve the crop. In order not to let the bug crawl along all the beds, strawberry care should be started in early spring.
