Aphids are a widespread insect pest that does not touch berries, but severely damages shoots and leaves on currant bushes. If you leave everything to chance, the plant weakens, often gets sick, and then you don’t even have to think about a good harvest.
There are no varieties of currants resistant to the pest. Therefore, at the first sign of the appearance of insects, you need to take effective measures. Today you will learn how to fight aphids on currants: with folk remedies or chemicals, what preventive measures will help reduce the likelihood or completely prevent the appearance of dangerous pests.
Why are aphids dangerous?
Aphids feed on the sap of leaves, shoots and flower buds of red and black currants, causing deformation, curling and wilting. It is a carrier of viral diseases such as:
- necrotic yellowness;
- mosaic viruses types I and II;
- terryness.
The honeydew produced by the pest attracts ants to the garden and leads to the appearance of black fungus.
Aphids overwinter on currant shoots in the egg stage, which are laid at the base of the buds. The first insects appear in early spring. Colonies form on shoots and leaves. Later, a winged form develops and leaves the plants for the summer. In the fall, the aphids return and lay winter eggs.
What is the danger of aphids for currants?
Aphids pierce young leaves and feed on their sap. As a result, the leaf plate is deformed, red-brown swellings form on it, which leads to its drying out and death.
There is another type of insect that feeds on the sap of shoots, which interferes with their growth. Due to the fact that young shoots of the bush are affected, summer residents may be left without berries this year and next.
Parasites will not be able to destroy the bush, but it will wither, weaken and bear almost no fruit. In addition, pests are carriers of various viruses that cause diseases.
What aphid attacks currants: types and signs of damage to the bush
As a rule, the peak activity of aphids occurs in May-June, although the pest does not sleep during the summer, actively reproducing and populating the entire garden with its offspring.
The life cycle of aphids is as follows: in early spring, when the temperature rises, insects emerge from the laid eggs and begin to multiply quickly, feeding on plant juices. Malicious pests (wingless form) suck them out (the juices) with the help of their proboscis, piercing the youngest and most tender leaves, shoots and buds. When there are too many aphids and the plant dries out, a generation of a winged form is born, the individuals of which scatter to neighboring bushes. In autumn, eggs are laid in favorite places.
Typically, damage such as swollen, curled, and then reddened currant and gooseberry leaves with accumulations of larvae on the inside of young leaves indicates that a small and dangerous pest - aphids - has settled in your area.
Most often, currants are affected by two varieties of aphids, each of which prefers its own color of the berry: gall - red and white, and gooseberry - black.
Aphids and ants are good friends (faithful companions), since the latter love to feed on the carbohydrate secretions (molasses) of our small pests, carrying them from one place to another. So fighting aphids is also fighting ants.
Gall aphid (leaf)
If characteristic red spots in the form of swellings appear on red or white currants (these bubbles do not immediately acquire color), this means that your berry bush has been attacked by gall aphids.
As a rule, it hides precisely on the back side of the leaves and is very difficult to see, since it is even smaller than the melon, which attacks cucumbers (less than 2 mm).
If you do not detect it in time and take appropriate measures, the leaves will gradually die off. Then, naturally, the yield will drop significantly, and the bush itself will begin to slowly die.
Gooseberry aphid (shoot)
You can detect that your blackcurrant has been attacked by gooseberry aphids by looking at the curled leaves on the tops of the shoots (similar to a cocoon).
Leaves twisted into cocoons are very convenient for aphids for their own protection, because predator insects cannot see them.
If you unfold these leaves, you will see a huge number of aphids and their eternal companions, or rather defenders and carriers - ants.
Because of this, the fruits of the bush begin to shrink, they lose their taste, and they may even begin to fall off spontaneously.
How to spray currants against aphids: the best preparations
We remind you! The same drugs are used against gall aphids, which attack red and white currants, as well as against gooseberry aphids, which attack black currants .
By the way! Don’t forget to treat the gooseberries, it’s not for nothing that aphids are called gooseberries!
Chemicals
If your currant bushes are literally attacked by aphids, all the tops and leaves are curled, or are covered with red spots in the form of swellings, then you can hardly do without chemicals if you want to save your plants and harvest.
Think! There is an opinion among some gardeners that using “chemicals” in the garden is unacceptable, because you can simply get poisoned by such “treated” berries.
However, you must understand that chemicals do not tend to accumulate; after the waiting period (on average 20 days), the active ingredients of the drugs are completely removed from the plant. Moreover, chemical treatments are allowed for use only in the period before fruit ripening.
The most well-known and proven chemical insecticides that help control aphids on currants include:
Spraying with chemical fungicides is carried out strictly before or after flowering, as well as after harvesting.
- Actellik (active ingredient - Pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic);
- Aktara (active ingredient - Thiamethoxam (Aktara);
- Aliot (d. substance - Malathion (Karbofos);
- Fufanon (substance - Malathion (Karbofos);
- Karbofos (substance - Malathion (Karbofos);
It is important to know! Aliot, Fufanon and Karbofos are analogue drugs, because they have the same active ingredient - Malathion (Karbofos).
- Biotlin (active ingredient - Imidacloprid);
- Tanrek (substance - Imidacloprid);
- Iskra Zolotaya (substance - Imidacloprid);
Biotlin, Tanrek and Iskra Zolotaya are drugs with the same active ingredient, i.e. analogues.
Note ! Biotlin is not a biological product!
- Spark - Double effect (active ingredients - Permethrin and Cypermethrin);
- Inta-Vir (d.v. - Cypermethrin);
- Kinmiks (a.v. - Beta-cypermethrin);
- Preparation 30 Plus (a.v. - Vaseline oil);
- Prophylactic (a.v. - Vaseline oil and Malathion (Karbofos).
Advice! Preparation 30 Plus and Profilaktin are used for early spring eradication treatment of the garden (before buds open) to destroy the wintering stages of pests, i.e. spraying with these products will help you get rid of aphid eggs.
Traditional methods of fighting aphids
It is recommended to fight aphids on currants with folk remedies in case of moderate pest infestation. If the ecological recipe is used correctly, there will be no need for chemicals on the site. Practice-proven methods are based on pollinating bushes with herbal powders or spraying plantings with solutions.
Protecting berry fields with natural compounds involves several stages of using the chosen method. A slight violation of the frequency, timing and recipe - and the aphids return.
Soda Ash
The mixture is prepared from 10 tbsp. l. soda and 10 liters of water. The powder should completely dissolve. Before spraying, add a little soap solution to the product.
Hydrogen peroxide
Mix 50 ml of hydrogen peroxide, 50 ml of alcohol and 10 liters of distilled water. Spray on the undersides of leaves of infected plants. Use once a week (preferably after rain).
Using tobacco against aphids
The simplest treatment of currants against a dangerous pest is spraying with tobacco dust. Used as prophylaxis in early spring. The product is effective against gall aphids.
If the pest is found on a bush at the beginning of the growing season, a liquid concentrate is prepared from tobacco. 100 g of dust is dissolved in 1 liter of warm water, add 50 g of laundry soap. The composition is brought to a boil in a water bath and removed from the stove. 300 g of broth is dissolved in a 10-liter bucket and the bush is sprayed with the working solution. Treatment of currants is repeated 3 times at intervals of 2-3 days.
Ammonia
Ammonia (ammonia) is a nitrogenous compound that is suitable for killing aphids, and will also be useful for the plant itself for growth and development. You need to make the following composition: combine 100 g of laundry soap, 50 ml of ammonia, 10 liters of water. Mix thoroughly and spray the aphids on the currants. This product is used in the first half of summer, when plants require nitrogen for active growth.
All homemade folk remedies have one drawback: they have a “mild” effect on insect pests without causing harm to plants. Such methods are used for prevention or at the first signs of infection, when a colony of aphids has just appeared on currants.
Soap, added to different compositions, serves as a kind of glue. It helps other substances linger on the lower parts of the leaf blades. Berry bushes are sprayed several times during the growing season, repeating the procedure after 7–10 days. For an adult currant bush, approximately 1.2-1.5 liters of the prepared preparation are usually consumed. It is better to fight aphids on currants using folk remedies in the evening, when the weather is calm and windless. Treatments are not recommended during the flowering period and a few days before harvest. Otherwise, pungent-smelling herbal and drug compounds may be present in the taste and smell of currants.
Infusion of marigolds
The infusion effectively fights gall aphids. To obtain the product, pour half a bucket of crushed flowers and green mass of the plant with 10 liters of water. Leave for 3 days, filter the prepared solution through gauze.
Mustard infusion
To get rid of aphids on currants, an infusion is prepared from mustard powder. 15 g (1 tablespoon) of raw materials are diluted in 1 liter of water and kept in a warm place for 2 days. Before use, the volume is adjusted to 5 liters. If the pest has tightly adhered to the currants, the proportion of the infusion is 1 liter per 20 g of powder. This composition will also poison the leaf roller butterfly, which is often adjacent to aphids.
Pine infusion
A kilogram of pine needles (preferably pine) is poured with 5 liters of boiling water and left for 7 days. For preventive use, the concentrate is diluted to 10 liters; in case of a massive aphid infestation, problematic currant bushes are sprayed with a concentrated infusion. After treating the bushes with a diluted product (ratio 1:5), the soil under the currant plantings is treated.
Onion peel infusion
Onion infusion is a lifesaver if you need a quick and guaranteed effect. It helps well against gall or gooseberry aphids, and can be used during the fruiting period of currants. In addition to getting rid of pests, it saturates berry plants with useful substances.
To prepare, take 200 g of husk and place it in a zinc bucket, then pour 10 liters of boiling water. They form a “bath” - place a large pan on top of the bucket with the solution and wrap it well. Leave for 10-15 hours. Infected currant bushes are sprayed with undiluted infusion.
Infusion of potato or tomato tops
An infusion of tops of nightshade crops (primarily potatoes and tomatoes) removes all types of aphids. It is also an excellent help against codling moths, sawflies and mites. The harmful effect of the infusion is given by toxic salonin in the composition of potato and tomato tops.
4-5 kg of green mass are poured into 10 liters of water and simmered over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Soap is added after cooling. Before spraying, the concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5.
Ash infusion with wormwood
The infusion is quickly prepared, and therefore good for urban summer residents. Dosage: 500 g of wormwood, 300 g of wood ash and 50 g of soap. The ingredients are poured into 10 liters of water and left for 5 hours. After filtering, the solution is diluted halfway with water.
Infusion of celandine
If there is any doubt about the type of pest, celandine will help. The ubiquitous weed effectively exterminates both gall and gooseberry aphids. However, such an infusion should not be used when fruit ovaries appear on currants.
Pour 3-4 kg of freshly cut grass into a 10-liter bucket and leave for 12-15 hours. Be sure to strain the finished infusion before spraying.
Soap solution
In everyday life, by soap solution, gardeners mean any alkaline composition. To obtain the drug, add 3-4 tbsp to 1 liter of water. spoons of dishwashing detergent, washing powders, liquid or grated laundry soap. Tar soap gives a good result in case of severe damage to plantings. A 100-gram piece is dissolved in 10 liters of water and sprayed onto the plantings. The pungent smell of tar repels pests.
Another effective remedy is a soap-soda solution. Dissolve a piece of laundry soap in 4-5 liters of hot water and add 4 tbsp. spoons of soda ash. In the absence of rain, treatment for 2-3 weeks prevents the appearance of aphids.
Fumigation of currant bushes
Close to the currant plantings they burn objects that do not so much burn as smolder. These are rubber, caoutchouc, tobacco, raincoat mushroom. Plumes of acrid smoke destroy ripening eggs and colonies of aphids, the smell of burning and ash residues repel new pests.
Fumigation of currants is carried out on a cloudy day in calm weather. A piece of suitable material is placed in a pan or flask and set on fire. To prevent active combustion, cover the container 2/3 with a lid. The “device” is placed under the currant bushes for 2-3 hours.
Milk and iodine
The composition helps to get rid of any type of aphids on currants. A liter of cow's milk is diluted with 10 liters of water, then 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of iodine is added to the mixture. Soap is not used: milk fat acts as a protective film. It is important to observe the dosage of iodine, otherwise you can burn the currant foliage. Milk can be replaced with whey. In this case, 50 g of birch tar soap is added to the ingredients.
Iodine-milk treatment is a good leaf-based fertilizer. The mixture contains amino acids, calcium and phosphorus. During the season, the treatment against aphids is repeated 3-4 times, and in the fall the currant harvest will delight you with large juicy berries of a rich color.
Solutions and infusions
Solutions and infusions based on plant components are very popular among gardeners. They are quite effective and completely safe for people and pets. The following strong-smelling substances are used from plants to prepare infusions:
- garlic;
- onion;
- garden horseradish;
- hot pepper;
- potato or tomato tops.
Garlic
There are two ways to prepare garlic infusion. In the first case, peeled garlic cloves are infused in cold water for at least three days. This must be done in a sealed container. For the second method, you need to grate a glass of garlic, fill it with cold water and leave for a day. The most important thing is that the liquid has a strong garlic smell. For greater effectiveness, garlic infusion is mixed with finely chopped laundry soap. A spray bottle is filled with this mixture and the leaves are treated with it. Soap glues insects together and prevents them from leaving the danger zone. Read how to get rid of aphids on cucumbers here.
The leaves should be sprayed from the back side, since aphid colonies are located there and spraying from above will not give a positive result.
Onion
To obtain onion infusion, you need to chop 40-60 grams of onions and pour two liters of water into it. Leave for at least five hours. Then add a little grated laundry soap. Apply branches and leaves using a spray bottle or a wide brush. This material will tell you about the use of onion peels for the garden.
Treatment with onion tincture should be carried out early in the morning or after sunset in calm weather. In case of high humidity and rainy weather, treatment is not carried out.
Potato
Potato tops need to be finely chopped and pour boiling water over them. The composition is infused for 24 hours and is used to spray currant bushes affected by aphids. It is recommended to add a little laundry soap to the infusion as a viscous substance that immobilizes aphids. Instead of potato tops, many gardeners use tomato greens.
Soda ash solution
Soda ash solution is an old and proven recipe against aphids.
The shell of insects is very thin and soda easily damages it, causing irritation and damage. Laundry or tar soap added to the solution prevents insects from moving and they die. The solution is prepared using one tablespoon of soda per liter of water.
You should not use scented toilet soap in solutions, as its smell can attract other insect pests.
Wood ash decoctions
Wood ash has long been used to control certain insects. 300-400 grams of ash should be sifted through a fine sieve to remove solid particles. The resulting powder is mixed with 1.5 liters of water and boiled for 30 minutes. After cooling, the mixture is filtered and water is added to it, up to 10 liters and two tablespoons of grated soap. In another option, 3 kg of ash is taken per 10 liters of water and the mixture is not boiled, but infused.
Treatment of bushes with a decoction of wood ash is carried out in any convenient way.
Tobacco infusion
Tobacco contains nicotine, which is a strong poison for aphids. To prepare the infusion, you can use dry tobacco or shag. 400 grams of dry product are poured with 10 liters of water and infused for two days, then the infusion is filtered, carefully squeezing out the grounds. To reduce the concentration, add another 10 liters of water to the infusion, and for viscosity, 80 grams of crushed soap. Currant bushes are sprayed with the solution early in the morning.
Chemicals
They are used with caution. Chemical sprays can be harmful to human and animal health. Today's market recommends the following products:
- Aktara. Fast acting due to good absorption by plants.
- Actellik. Organophosphate insecticide. More toxic than other drugs. Increased security measures are required.
- Fufanon. Effectively fights against herbivorous parasites.
- Alioth. Penetrating into plants, it affects insects upon contact with the outer shells, entering the intestines and inhaling vapors.
- Biotlin. Aphids and their larvae die within a few hours after treatment. The protective effect lasts 14-21 days.
- Inta-vir. The drug is safe for people and animals. Leads to paralysis of pests.
- Karbofos. Acts against sucking and leaf-eating parasites. Moderately toxic.
- Kinmiks. Paralyzes the nervous system of adult aphids and larvae.
- Tanrek. Penetrates into leaves, stems and roots of currants.
Biological products
These drugs are prepared using components such as bacteria, fungi and other substances of biological origin. They are absolutely safe and their only drawback is that they act too slowly.
Fitoverm
To destroy aphids on currant bushes, you need to dilute the drug with water in a ratio of 2: 1000. Fitoverm can be used once every 20 days. Individuals of garden aphids begin to die after approximately 72 hours.
Entobacterin
This biological product is toxic to many types of harmful insects. To effectively combat aphids, it should be diluted with water at the rate of 10 grams of powder per 1 liter of water. It is better to treat currants against aphids at an air temperature of + 250C and above. In this case, the maximum effect is expected. The bushes must be treated at least twice with an interval of 7 days.
Arrow
"Strela" has a delayed duration of action, and the result appears after 10-15 days. A standard package of 50 grams is diluted in 10 liters of water. With a large number of aphids, the concentration can be increased.
You can pick berries two days after treating the bushes with Strela.
30-plus
The drug is available in containers of 250 and 500 ml. The insecticide is diluted in 5 and 10 liters of water, respectively. The solution remains active for only two hours, so it must be diluted immediately before use.
Tanrek
"Tanrek" is active for many types of insects, including bees, so it cannot be used during flowering. The drug is absorbed into the leaves and affects aphids as they feed on plant sap. The drug should not be used in sunny weather, as it can burn the leaves.
Confidor
The drug remains active in any weather and allows you to cope with the massive spread of aphids.
"Confidor" is available in the form of an emulsion and a water-soluble concentrate.
There are more active versions of the drug - these are “Confidor Maxi” and “Confidor Extra”
Biotlin
This drug works well not only against aphids, but also against garden ants, which are distributors of these pests. The concentrated solution in ampoules is very economical. By dissolving one 3 ml ampoule in 10 liters of water, you can treat 7-8 currant bushes. This link will tell you how to fight aphids on pear trees.
Plants against aphids on currants
Currants grow in one place for decades, and crop rotation cannot be applied to a berry garden. Repellent plants planted around the bushes will help out. They will protect currants from aphids during the period of berry ripening, when it is impossible to treat them with chemicals.
Planted nearby:
- marigold;
- calendula;
- lavender;
- mint;
- garlic;
- coriander;
- sage.
These plants abundantly distribute fragrant essential oils around, which protects the currants. The “fragrant” curtain physically prevents aphid nests from appearing.
Plants that repel aphids
Owners of garden and summer cottages effectively use the insecticidal properties of plants. In addition to potatoes, tomatoes and celandine, flowers with a strong aroma can also repel insects. Therefore, it is necessary to plant marigolds, calendula, lavender, saffron, and chamomile around the currants.
Attention!
You can also sow yarrow and wormwood. If you don’t want to sow them, you can simply lay out their branches under a bush. Tomato tops and garlic leaves are also suitable for this purpose.
An excellent combination will come with onions, thyme, and garlic, which are planted near the bushes. When the black elderberry enters the flowering stage, its branches should be cut off and spread over the berry garden.
When and how to treat?
When fighting aphids, the following rules are observed:
- when using an agricultural product for the first time, you need to try it on a small area;
- if the drug is too strong, the effect will appear within twenty-four hours;
- use chemicals strictly according to instructions;
- do not spray during the flowering period;
- do not process plantings in rainy and windy weather;
- spray not only the bushes, but also the ground underneath them.
What harm does aphids cause to the garden?
There are approximately 5,000 species of aphids on earth. Fortunately, in Europe there are much fewer of them - a little more than a thousand. However, this amount is enough to cause harm to agriculture in general and small summer cottages in particular.
Aphids live on different crops. She likes currants, apple trees, gooseberries, beets, melons - in a word, almost any plant. Depending on the host crop, aphids vary in color. Their color can be red, green, gray, black, beige, brown, etc. Insects also differ in size - from 0.3-0.8 mm (most) to 7.5 mm (some species). We have already written in more detail about the types of aphids and their life cycle:
- All about aphids: types, photos, life cycle and methods of control
Tiny aphids can cause serious damage to plants. Let's find out more about this pest!
However, no matter the size or color of the aphid, it always causes significant damage to the garden and vegetable garden. Why are aphids harmful?
- Aphids feed on plant sap. She pierces young leaves or stems with her proboscis and sucks out the juice from there. As a result of its “activity”, the plant weakens, the amount of green mass decreases (leaves curl, wither and fall), the quality deteriorates and the volume of the harvest decreases and - in the most advanced cases - the plant dies.
- During their life, aphids secrete a sweet substance - honeydew, which ants love very much. Thus, aphids attract another harmful insect to your garden - ants. This “sweet tandem” will bring you even more problems if you don’t take the right measures.
- Aphids are harmful not only because they drink juice from plants. It is also a carrier of a large number of pathogenic viruses that can cause disease in cultivated plants.
Preventive measures
As a preventive measure they practice:
- regular inspection of leaves;
- use of fertilizers with low nitrogen content;
- thorough weeding and mulching;
- fighting ants;
- pruning dry branches and removing old bark;
- loosening the soil and whitewashing the trunks in the fall.
To destroy aphids, you must use all available means. Modern technologies will help save time and effort. Home methods will eliminate any harmful effects on the future harvest.
Prevention of aphids
It will take a lot of time and labor to fight this insect. To avoid infection of the bush, you will need:
- trim the bushes every year, getting rid of damaged shoots and branches;
- constantly remove weeds around the crop;
- dig up the soil under and around the plant;
- get rid of ants;
- plant plants that repel aphids;
- do not fight ladybugs and lacewings;
- In spring, pour boiling water over the bush.
In addition, branches and trunks should be whitened.
Plants susceptible to aphid damage
It should be noted that there is no particular difference between the methods of destroying shoot and gall aphids. It also does not matter what drug to treat this or that plant. The only difference is in the dosage, but instructions are usually included with the drug. It also happens that, no matter how you treat the bushes, aphids appear on it again soon. And all because there are plants that are especially attractive to the pest. These include:
- viburnum. This medicinal plant blooms quite early, attracting aphids awakened after winter with its young leaves. Therefore, before you start processing red currants, you need to process viburnum;
- Apple tree. This applies to young trees with tender, succulent shoots. Aphids especially harm petioles, which dry out and fall off. If you do not treat the tree, the colony of pests will spread throughout the garden;
- roses. Aphids love buds and shoot ends;
- peppers. Aphids cover green leaf blades and ovaries with a continuous carpet, which is why almost the entire harvest is lost;
- cabbage. Its succulent leaves are especially attractive to aphids. As a result, the cabbage turns yellow and a normal head of cabbage does not form;
- cucumbers Their fresh greens seem especially attractive to aphids. She also does not disdain young ovaries. Timely spraying will help save the crop;
- loves aphids and flowers, especially nasturtium. Sometimes it is recommended to plant it next to currants as a bait plant. It is much easier to destroy several colonies by tearing out a flower than to wage a painstaking fight on a large bush.
What is gall aphid and what does it look like?
Gall aphids are one of the most dangerous for plants. Most often it affects red currant bushes.
In an effort to heal wounds from aphid bites, currants form special growths on the leaves, which are called galls. It is by these that one can most often determine the presence of aphids on a bush.
The result of the influence of gall aphids
The fact is that the gall aphid is very small, and it is very difficult to notice it among dense growth. The task is complicated by the fact that the gall aphid is colored pale green and is barely noticeable against the background of the leaves.
The gall aphid poses an additional danger to currants due to the fact that it is a carrier of various infections.
How to treat aphids - effective drugs?
Currently, the store sells many aphid medications. First of all, they differ in the principle of their action (contact, contact-intestinal insecticide). The main active ingredient of the drug (imidacloprid, permethrin, malathion, aversectin, thiamethoxam, neonicotinoid, etc.) depends on this.
You need to choose a drug based on its duration, the number of necessary treatments, effectiveness, and danger to the crop itself and bees. For example, when using Fufanon , you need to be aware that it kills all insects indiscriminately. Therefore, when purchasing a product in a store, carefully read the instructions.
Fufanon
The most effective drugs in the fight against aphids: Iskra, Tanrek, Aktara, Biotlin, Senpai, Fitoverm, Trichopol, Aktofit, Alatar, Commander, Jaguar, Strela, Iskra, Karbofos, Zubr, Konfidor, Warrant, Cruiser .
Prevention of infection
To prevent aphids from attacking your plantings and protect your currants, think about prevention long before they appear. Following simple principles and control measures will help with this:
- Weed control. Overgrown bushes are much more likely to be affected by pests, so the area around the currants should always be thoroughly weeded. The only exceptions may be repellent plants.
- Timely pruning of bushes will also help protect currants. Aphids breed on branches hidden from the sun and poorly ventilated. You can prevent its comfortable reproduction with the help of annual sanitary and formative pruning: dead branches and excess weak shoots hidden in the depths of the bush are eliminated.
- Destruction of ants. Black ants will ruin all your attempts to remove aphids. They carry it on themselves from neighboring areas, populating more and more new bushes. Therefore, black ants must be fought tirelessly until they are completely destroyed.
The key to success in the fight against aphids is methodicality. By noticing the appearance of pests in time, you can avoid infection of all plantings. It is impossible to completely get rid of aphids on red or black currants. However, compliance with preventive measures and a competent combination of control methods will help avoid significant damage to the crop and maintain the health of the bushes.
Where do ants come from on currants?
The habitat of aphids is the inside of crop leaves. Pests overwinter under the bark of young shoots. With the arrival of spring and rising air temperatures, aphid larvae emerge. They choose the sap of young branches as food. Due to the attack of aphids, currant leaves curl, then wither and eventually die.
The fruits on the bushes decrease in size, the amount of harvest is significantly reduced. Around July, currant leaves stop growing. At the same time, the aphids develop wings. This allows the insects to move to nearby plants, where the aphids remain until autumn.
Did you know? Ants in small numbers bring exceptional benefits to plants. They destroy the larvae of many other insect pests, and also loosen the soil around crops, due to which the soil is fertilized and enriched with oxygen, phosphorus and potassium.
With the arrival of autumn, insects return to the currants to lay eggs. If the bushes are attacked by aphids, ants will soon appear. Ants in large numbers cause serious damage to plants, so you need to get rid of them very quickly.
- The main reasons for their appearance:
- improper planting and poor quality care around the plant trunk;
- untimely harvest;
- late collection of fallen leaves;
- aphids on trees and shrubs in the garden.
Along the earthen paths you can easily spot ant settlements: the mounds are the homes of insects. Pests quickly colonize new territories, moving at high speed. Ants settle in the ground near the roots of currants. They do not quarrel with aphids, but, on the contrary, form a mutually beneficial alliance.
In early spring, ants carry aphids to branches and buds, and then help them move to the leaves.
In return for their services, the ants receive a sugary substance produced by aphids - honey juice, which they feed on. Aphids harm the ground part of the currant because they suck all the nutrients from the bushes.
Due to the settlement of ants in the ground, the root system of the plant suffers. Most often, currants are attacked by forest brown, black garden and turf ants. Aphids are carried by all types of insects, so you should fight them all.
Description of the pest
This is a harmful insect from the order Homoptera, its mouthparts are of the piercing-sucking type.
Many varieties of this pest can appear in the garden, but the following types of aphids appear on different varieties of currants:
- shoot aphid
, which settles only on blackcurrant varieties; - leaf
aphid - it prefers to live on white or red currants.
Reference!
The peak appearance of this harmful insect in the garden is May-June, but aphids live on berry bushes throughout the summer.
Adults do not live long, but their females reproduce at lightning speed, so up to 15 generations of this harmful insect can appear over the summer.
Aphids can cause irreparable damage to currant bushes, especially if their colony has grown rapidly. Comfortable conditions for its reproduction are hot weather and lack of precipitation, so in the dry season, this pest will have to be fought throughout the summer season.
Leaf gall aphid (Capitophorus ribis)
This small insect most often damages white and red currants. In the spring, when the first leaves bloom, larvae appear, which settle on the underside of the leaves and suck the juices out of them. Gradually, these larvae become the founders of a new colony, damaging more and more leaves. Red swellings appear on their outer surface. Then the leaves begin to die, a drop in yield and the gradual death of the entire plant.
Leaves damaged by aphids
