Apple green aphids and other species: where do they come from, what harm do trees bring and how to deal with them?

Aphid on the apple tree is a common phenomenon. This small insect ranging in size from 4 to 7 millimeters is the most dangerous pest of fruit trees.

Therefore, how to deal with the "uninvited guest", every summer resident should know. Further in the article we will talk about the types of these pests, and also we will tell what harm they can cause to fruit trees.

We will share effective recipes from the piggy bank of folk remedies for combating these insects.

Who infects apple trees: insect species

Aphids often appear in the garden. An apple tree can attack several of its species at once. Their color varies from black, gray, light green, green to pink and brown. These insects settle on the back of the leaf, on the stems or young shoots.

The following species of aphids are common on the apple tree.

• Gall or Red Gall. It brings considerable damage to apple orchards. This aphid damages the fruit, leaving spots of red on them. The insect looks like a wide oval, almost a circle.

  Color is green or gray. Before the flowering of plants begins, the females are very fertile, producing up to 70 larvae, then only up to 15. The leaves of the trees, which have been strongly influenced by aphids, twist and die.

• Gray. On her body there are dark gray flakes with an ashen coating. The colony contains migrating and non-migratory insects. The second are always on an occupied tree, producing up to 20 offspring for the entire period of the growing season of the apple tree. Migrants - fly to other garden crops and continue to parasitize there.
• Green apple aphid. Located only on apple, pear, quince, plum. It does not migrate to other plants.

Insect Harm

Any kind of this insect causes great harm to the fruit tree. Namely:

• sheet plates are covered with a sticky liquid;
• the leaves begin to curl and dry;
• red spots appear on the top of the leaves;
• young shoots stop developing and die;
• the top of the apple tree is bent;
• tree productivity decreases.

It should be remembered that in addition to eating leaves, aphids are also carriers of various diseases, including viral. Be sure to destroy it in your area.

Where and why do they appear?

Aphids begin their development in early spring, when females emerge from the larvae that wintered in the bark of the tree. Their reproduction occurs rapidly, creating entire colonies on the green part of the plant.

It feeds on aphids with the juice of green leaves and young shoots. The wind carries it around the site. Also, ants help her migrate, which tickle aphids and drink the allocated sweet liquid.

Particularly active insect breeds on apple trees, which lack amino acids. This may be due to an excess of nitrogen in the soil, or a lack of potassium and phosphorus.

It is difficult to notice pests right away, because they settle on the tops of trees, but then, having spoiled all the green leaves there, appear on the bottom of the apple tree.

Here, the aphid is noticeable even with the naked eye. Simply turn over the leaf on which the insect forms a whole village.

How to deal with them?

The difficulty in controlling this insect lies in its incredible fecundity. Over the year, the number of aphids increases 20 times. Egg laying occurs wherever possible, plus the help of the ant community.

Pest control is necessary at all stages of apple tree growth. But an adult tree is still able to tolerate the invasion of aphids with the least loss. But the young tree can die at all.

An important point in the processing is spraying those areas where there is a cluster of insects, more precisely in twisted leaves.

Remember to use gloves to protect your hands., since for complete penetration of the solution you will have to unfold the foliage. There are various methods for killing pests.

How to get rid with the help of folk remedies?

Most infusions and solutions for treating trees from aphids can be prepared independently. The advantage is that they will only fight aphids without harming the apple tree. The most popular means.

Wood ash

For the solution, you need to take 5 liters of water and a glass of sifted ash. Mix everything thoroughly and let it brew for several hours. Treat the underside of the leaves.

Garlic infusion

Soap and oil envelop the body of insects, which prevents their breathing. Garlic smell repels pests.

1. Grind 6 cloves of garlic using a press.
2. Soak in 200 ml of water.
3. After 24 hours, add a teaspoon of liquid soap and a little oil to the infusion.
4. Treat affected areas.

From tomato leaves

The product is very soft and does not harm the trees.. In addition, it does not require additional costs.

1. Grind the leaves of a tomato, so that they turn out 2 cups. It is advisable to take the bottom leaves.
2. Soak them in 2 glasses of water and leave overnight.
3. Treat areas with clusters of aphids.

Celandine

The components contained in the celandine well kill aphids. To prepare you need to take:

1. 1 kg of celandine pour three liters of boiling water;
2. when the solution cools down, add another 6-7 liters of hot water to it;
3. after thorough stirring, put the liquid in a dark place to insist for 48 hours;
4. spray the apple tree with a ready-made solution;

Tobacco

Such a tool is prepared as follows.

1. 500 grams of tobacco leaves are infused in 10 liters of warm water for 48 to 72 hours. Then the liquid is filtered and 10 more liters of water are poured.
2. Crumble 30 - 50 grams of laundry soap and mix with the resulting liquid.
3. Soap is needed so that the solution adheres to the leaves during processing.

Onion peel

In 10 liters of water add 200 grams of husk, mix and leave for 24 hours. Spray the apple tree with such a solution for at least 5 days in a row.

Folk remedies are best used in the summer, when green apples have already appeared. After harvesting, processing can be repeated..

What to process from chemical, biological preparations?

Attention. Chemical methods are the most versatile for pest control. However, chemistry must be used very carefully so as not to harm the tree.

Try chemical treatments in early spring when the buds have not yet appeared. During this period, aphids can deliver a powerful blow without damaging the young shoots.

• The most popular and effective tool for controlling garden pests is Nitrofen. To prepare the solution, you need 10 liters of water and 200 grams of the drug. This will be enough to process one apple tree.
• Also no less popular are Oleocrupit and Kinmix. The first drug copes well with aphid larvae, but you need to use it during the period when the kidneys have not yet appeared. The second - less harmful to trees, it can be used before flowering.
• Inta-Vir and Karate have shown not bad results. The first saves the garden from more than 50 types of pests, including apple aphids. A single spray to completely kill the aphids is not enough. But for reprocessing, gentle preparations are needed so as not to burn the leaves. These include Spark, Decis, and Cypermethrin.

When using chemicals, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the instructions for their use.

To try to destroy aphids in a biological way, you need to apply such methods:

1. Break the chain linking ants to aphids by removing anthills next to the garden.
2. Choose the right plants for the neighborhood with the apple tree. So, calendula, garlic, tomatoes repel aphids, but nasturtium, mallow, viburnum will attract uninvited guests to the apple tree.
3. Lure birds that peck aphids into the garden. These are tits, sparrows, linnet and other small birds.
4. Take advantage of the confrontation between aphids and other insects: ladybugs, wasps, bees, flies - beetles. Draw them into the garden with herbs.

Preventative measures

These include:

• regular watering of trees, especially in drought;
• fertilizing and fertilizing soil;
• mulching and sprinkling of the crown.

Before the onset of cold weather, trees need to be prepared for winter. Be sure to process the bark, destroying the aphid larvae. You also need to cut the diseased branches and remove the affected bark.

Destroying aphids is not an easy task. Only timely treatment of affected trees, together with prevention and proper care, can give a good result.

Useful video

Next, we offer an informative video about the fight against aphids on the apple tree:

Watch the video: How to Get Rid of Aphids Guaranteed 4 Easy Steps (May 2024).