Aphids on an apple tree: how to get rid of them using folk and professional means

Aphids are small insects that parasitize plants and cause them great harm. Feeding on plant sap, aphids damage young shoots, buds, flowers, leaves, and spread diseases that can destroy the crop.

Aphids are quite easy to spot: they create huge colonies on the plant. The reverse side of the leaves and the tops of the shoots are densely covered with small insects of black, green, and gray colors. These pests reproduce very quickly: just one female in a month can produce three generations with a total number of about hundreds of thousands of individuals. Some generations of aphids, under certain conditions, are born winged: such individuals are able to travel long distances, colonizing other plants.

During their life, aphids secrete a sweet liquid (honeydew), which ants really like. Therefore, they protect aphids and contribute to their spread. The sweet secretions of aphids quickly clog the stomata of plants and contaminate the leaves. Subsequently, the affected shoots become covered with dust, dirt, and sooty fungus, which impedes the process of photosynthesis and further inhibits the plant. There are hundreds of species of aphids, and many of them cause serious damage to fruit crops.

• 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!

What are aphids?

The appearance of aphids always occurs in large colonies. First of all, the pest appears on the tops of trees, gradually descending to other parts of them. As the family grows, females with wings are born in it. Flying around the garden, they have the opportunity to choose more suitable places to live, thereby infecting other plants.

The peculiarity of the aphid lies in its oral gnawing apparatus, with the help of which it obtains nutrients from the leaves of trees and other green crops. The insect's favorite treat is juicy young shoots and flowers. There is a type of aphid that feeds on the bark and roots of trees. By sucking nutritional products from the plant, the pest weakens it, as a result of which it develops and grows incompletely.

What is the danger of aphids for fruit trees: signs of damage

When a fruit tree is overpowered by aphids, its leaves begin to curl, which in turn negatively affects the shoots and the future formation of flower buds, because the processes of photosynthesis in such branches are disrupted and the plant ceases to receive normal nutrition.

Interesting! The leaves acquire this shape because aphids inject a special substance into them, which causes them to curl and form a kind of house, thereby protecting themselves from other insect pests that may be nearby.

As a rule, aphids appear first on young shoots, from which it is easiest to extract juice; the small pest usually does not sit on old shoots.

Ants, considered forest orderlies, but at the same time being real pests of gardens and vegetable gardens, as a rule, carry aphids to fruit trees, and then protect them because they like to feed on their carbohydrate secretions - sweet honeydew.

A capacious quote and a revealing thing! “An aphid is a cow ant.”

Advice! Therefore, if you decide to fight aphids, at the same time you need to take measures to rid your garden of ants, which are described in detail in this article.

Aphids on plums and characteristic signs of damage

Important! Aphids, as a rule, are species-specific, that is, there are apple-cereal aphids, peach aphids, plum aphids, and so on. But the ways to deal with it are the same

What harm can an insect cause to an apple tree?

Understanding what type they belong to will help you choose the right weapon for pest control. The main types of garden aphids:

1. The red gall aphid got its name because of a feature: the habitat of this species causes swelling on the leaves of the plant - galls. The insect is brown in color and reaches about 2 mm in length.
2. Gray aphids attack mature trees. The hemispherical body of the pest is painted dark gray, and the head, tail, mustache and paws are black. The vital activity of aphids occurs on the back side of the leaves, which curls them down in the form of wrinkled burgundy rollers.
3. Green aphids are fertile and can produce 12 generations per season in favorable climatic conditions, and in cold regions - half as much, which is also quite a lot. The pest in adulthood reaches no more than 2 mm in length and has a bright green color.

Harmfulness of insects:

• trees slow down;
• fruit buds appear and ripen late;
• tree fruits become small and often fall off;
• weakened shoots are less prepared for winter conditions;
• trees are prone to the appearance of other pests: ants, tree beetles;
• the vulnerability of plants, especially young ones, to fungi and infectious agents appears;
• dust settles on the leaves due to honeydew produced by aphids.

When colonizing plants en masse, gray aphids damage not only the leaves, but also the fruits, as evidenced by small red spots on them.

Reasons for appearance

The most reliable preventive measures cannot protect the area from the appearance of aphids. Insects fly in search of food, looking for well-groomed and tasty young plants.

The aphid (Aphis) has a body length of 2-7 mm; in total, more than a thousand species are known that live in our latitudes. The apple pest is usually the red-headed or gray aphid, less often other species.

The main reasons for the appearance of aphids are:

1. The ability of insects to fly. The main danger is from neglected neighboring areas, where insects multiply uncontrollably and then fly to other areas.
2. A large number of ants are companions, carriers and protectors of aphids.
3. Last year's eggs overwintered in the bark of apple trees.
4. Delivery of contaminated soil and manure.

Aphids feed on plant sap; they especially love apple trees with a high content of amino acids in their tissues. An increase in this indicator is provoked by improper application of fertilizers - a deficiency of potassium and phosphorus or an excessive amount of nitrogen in the leaves and stems.

Signs of a pest

You can detect the pest in the garden by carefully inspecting the trees, since its colonies are visible to the naked eye. Signs of aphids appearing on an apple tree:

• leaves rolled into a tube;
• crooked shoots;
• the formation of dark red spots and swellings on the leaves;
• deformation of tree tops;
• the plants look unhealthy, individual branches and young shoots wither.

When these symptoms appear, immediate treatment of the garden for pests is required.

How to fight correctly?

The choice of method for controlling aphids on apple trees depends on the time of year and the number of insects. The most harmless of them is biological.

20 effective ways to get rid of aphids on pear trees

Biological methods

The biological method of killing aphids is environmentally friendly and safe. Its essence is to create natural conditions in the garden that prevent the normal functioning of the pest.

Methods for biological destruction of aphids:

1. Attracting natural enemies. Birds such as tits, sparrows, starlings, and robins are capable of destroying even large colonies of the pest. Water bowls, feeders and houses will become bait for birds in the garden.

Predatory insects can also help in the fight against aphids in the garden. Lacewings and ladybugs are its natural enemies. To attract these beneficial insects, you need to create waterproof houses from natural materials (like a birdhouse, a ceramic flower pot) and fill them with natural materials like straw or wood shavings.

1. Planting bait plants that attract aphids more than others. Among them are the following flowers: poppy, cosmos, mallow, calendula, daisies, nasturtium. The pest's favorite herbs will also help diversify the garden.
2. Planting repellent plants. Aphids are afraid of onions, garlic and herbs, including arugula, basil, parsley, dill, and celery. The insect also does not like medicinal crops: lemon balm, mint, fennel, thyme, coriander, mustard, chamomile, lavender.

It is recommended to plant phytoncides (repellent herbs) closer to plants that need protection.

Special means

When the damage to apple trees by aphids is too widespread, and environmental control measures are not enough, chemical insecticides will help. Effective drugs:

• “Fitoverm” is an insectoacaricide that has a detrimental effect on all varieties of aphids, spider mites and other harmful insects. The drug belongs to toxicity category 3 (moderate) and is produced in ampoules of 5, 4 and 2 ml, as well as in bottles of 20 ml.

"Fitoverm" is safe for flora. Once in the body of an insect, the active substance paralyzes the pest, as a result of which it dies. For apple trees, peaches, pears and currants, the drug is dissolved in a proportion of 1.5 ml per 1 liter of water.

• “Iskra Zolotaya” (active ingredient – ​​imidacloprid) protects fruit trees, vegetable and flower crops from aphids and the Colorado potato beetle. The insecticide stays on plants for about 25 days, is not washed off by precipitation and irrigation, and is effective even in dry and hot summer weather. "Iskra" is non-toxic to humans and animals. The principle of action of the drug: after spraying, insects stop feeding and die of hunger within 1-2 days. To treat an apple tree against aphids, you need to dissolve 1 ml of the drug in 5 liters of water. This liquid is enough to spray 1 hectare of land.
• Cypermethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid that lasts 10-15 days. The preparation for Shar Pei apple trees based on it is especially effective in combating the larvae and eggs of pests (aphids, bread bugs, leopards, whiteflies). Suitable for processing apple trees, potatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, flower and ornamental crops. Dosage: 0.16-0.32 l/ha with three sprayings.

• “Decis” is a pesticide that kills aphids, white moths, leaf rollers, codling moths, leafhoppers, weevils, sawflies, redheads and other pests. The effect of the drug is noticeable on the first day and continues for 20 days. Instructions for use of the product recommend dissolving 1 g per 10 liters. This amount is enough for 2-5 trees.
• "Fury" is an insecticide that eliminates many types of insects and belongs to the moderate category of danger for warm-blooded animals. Treating apple trees against aphids with the drug should be carried out in the morning or evening if the weather is hot. Proportions for preparing the liquid: 2 ml of “Fury” per 10 liters of water (enough for 100 m²).
• "Nitrafen" is active against aphids, scale insects, caterpillars, leaflets, as well as in the fight against lichens, mosses and infections. It is recommended to use the product for spraying apple trees either in early spring before buds appear, or in late autumn. Instructions for preparing the liquid: 200 g of insecticide per 10 liters of water.
• “Akarin” is an extract from the streptomyces fungus, which destroys mites, aphids, thrips and many harmful butterflies. The insecticide is produced in ampoules in sets of 4 pieces and in bottles of 1 liter. Dosage: 2-8 ml per 1 liter of water.

• "Kinmiks" is used for fruit trees and shrubs. Effective against aphids, spiders, carrot flies and Colorado potato beetles. The substance is produced in ampoules of 2 ml. "Kinmiks" is valid for 20-25 days. Spray apple trees with this aphid repellent in a ratio of 4 ml per 10 liters of water. On average, 5 liters of liquid is enough for one apple tree. Spraying is carried out before and after flowering.
• “Oleocuprite” is a dark green liquid with an oily consistency, used on fruit crops and shrubs to disinfect them from aphids, suckers and pathogenic bacteria. The working mixture is prepared in a proportion of 400 g per 10 liters of water.
• "Intavir" is an insecticide for the control of homoptera, lepidoptera and coleoptera harmful insects. It works by causing paralysis in pests, causing them to die. The substance is active for 10-15 days. Consumption rate for spraying apple trees: 1 tablet. for 10 liters of water.
• "Karate" is an insecticide from the peritride class for the destruction of aphids, gall mites and other garden pests. Sold in packs of two ampoules of 2 ml each. The disinfection liquid is prepared in 2 stages: first, the insecticide from the ampoule is dissolved in a small amount of water until smooth, and then the resulting mixture is added to the water. The required concentration of solution for apple trees is 5 ml per 10 liters.
• "Trichopol" is produced in the form of tablets of 20 pieces. packaged. The active ingredient, metronidazole, paralyzes the insect, causing its rapid death. For spraying, the package of the drug is dissolved in 10 liters of water.

• "Fufanon" is used against scale insects, aphids, weevils, and codling moths. Apple trees are processed during the growing season. No more than two sprays every 20 days are recommended. Apples should be harvested no later than three weeks from the date of the last processing. Proportions for preparing the solution: 5 ml of Fufanon per 5 liters of water.
• "Karbofos" is a broad-spectrum insecticide. To spray fruit trees, prepare a solution in the proportion of 90 g of the drug per 10 liters of water. This amount is enough for one large tree. The insecticide lasts 5-14 days, after which it is destroyed.

"Karbofos", like "Dichlorvos", is used less often than other chemicals for treating fruit trees due to its high toxicity.

Traditional methods

You can get rid of aphids and other similar pests on an apple tree using folk remedies if the insect attack occurs on flowering trees. Compared to chemical methods, they are several times less toxic.

Ammonia

Ammonia has long been used by gardeners when there is an urgent need to save trees from aphids and other pests. 1 bottle of ammonia is diluted in 15 liters of water, then the affected crops are sprayed in the morning or after sunset. The product is suitable not only for fruit trees, but also for ornamental shrubs - roses, peonies, daffodils.

Tobacco

There are two ways to poison aphids with tobacco:

1. Tobacco infusion: pour 200 g of leaves into 10 liters of water, boil for 2 hours and cool. Before using the mixture, liquid soap is added to it.
2. Fumigation. To do this, a fire is built, and tobacco, ground to a powdery state, is scattered over it. The smoke should fumigate the tree crowns within several hours.

Advice! Tobacco can also be planted in an area near apple trees.

Soap

Laundry, tar or any liquid soap is used in the preparation of various aphid remedies as a binding element. It can be used with ammonia, tobacco and ash. To improve the viscosity of the solution, soap, shampoo or dishwashing detergent is added to any type of homemade infusion. Proportions for soap solution: 10 ml of liquid soap per 10 liters of water. When using laundry soap, you must first grind it on a fine grater. For 10 liters of water, 10 g of soap shavings is enough.

Spices

Aphids do not like plants that have a strong odor, so you can defeat them using spice-based products:

1. Hot chili pepper. Pour 100 g of pods into 1 liter of water, boil for 30 minutes, leave for two days. Before spraying the trees, dilute the resulting infusion with water in a ratio of 1:7. If dried rather than fresh pepper is used, the concentration of the solution should be 2 times less.
2. Cloves, cinnamon, anise. Pour 200 g of spices into 10 liters of boiling water and mix thoroughly. Leave the mixture for a day and spray the plants with it immediately, as the smell should not have time to dissipate.

Instead of cloves, cinnamon or anise, any herbs with a strong aroma can be used.

Soda

Soda is a universal helper in everyday life. It is also used in the fight against garden aphids according to the recipe: combine 10 liters of soap solution with 10 tbsp. l. food or 5 tbsp. l. soda ash. You need to spray the solution from a spray bottle so that there is no excess of the product on the leaves of the tree. Baking soda is a strong insecticide, so if used in large quantities it can inhibit plant development.

Alternative remedies

As an alternative to the aphid remedies listed above, other folk methods are also actively used, among which there is the most suitable one for everyone:

1. Milk and honey have shown effectiveness on apple trees, cherries, peaches, grapes, berry bushes, vegetable crops, rose bushes and indoor plants. A universal home remedy is prepared as follows: add 25-30 drops (0.5 cubes) of iodine to 100 ml of milk, pour 1 liter of water into the mixture, mix everything thoroughly until smooth. The resulting solution is used every 1.5 weeks.
2. Coca-Cola contains orthophosphoric acid, which is widely used in the production of insecticides, which poisons aphids and similar pests. To treat the garden, make a solution from the drink and water in a ratio of 1:7.
3. Table vinegar or apple cider vinegar are also suitable for controlling aphids. Table vinegar is diluted in the proportion of 1 tsp. per 1 liter of water, and apple - 1-2 tbsp. l. for 10 liters of water. Adding a soap solution helps to enhance the effect of the composition.
4. Products based on celandine can be watered, sprayed and dusted on trees. For the first two methods, an infusion is prepared: 0.5 kg of finely chopped plant is poured into 10 liters of water for 30 minutes. When the water turns brown, it indicates that the liquid is ready.

Dusting is used in soil disinfection. To do this, dry celandine is ground into powder and sprinkled on the ground around the trees.

1. Garlic decoction for aphids: boil 8 crushed or finely chopped heads in 1 liter of water for 2-3 minutes. Mix the resulting liquid with 10 liters of water.
2. The ash can be used dry, spread under trees, or an infusion can be made from it. Recipe: mix 3 cups of ash with 10 liters of water, leave for 48 hours. Before use, add crushed solid or liquid soap to the mixture.
3. In the fight against aphids, mustard, like celandine, is used for irrigating trees, spraying and dusting. The last option is simpler than the others: mustard powder is sprinkled on places where insects accumulate. For irrigation, use a solution of 10 liters of water, vinegar and mustard powder (1 tablespoon each). An infusion is prepared for spraying: 100 g of mustard powder is diluted in 10 liters of water, left for 24 hours, after which another 10 liters of liquid and 1/3 of crushed laundry soap are added.
4. Vodka has a detrimental effect on the nervous system of harmful insects, so solutions for fruit trees and ornamental shrubs are prepared from it. Recipe: mix 1 liter of water with 300 ml of vodka or 150 ml of alcohol, add soap solution to enhance the effect.
5. Green soap is used as an insecticide against flying garden pests in solutions in the proportion of 200 g of product per 10 liters of water.
6. Birch tar against aphids is used in a solution. Recipe: Grind 0.5 bars of tar soap, add 1 tbsp. l. birch tar, pour 1 liter of boiling water. Before use, the mixture is diluted with 10 liters of water.
7. Boric acid helps remove not only aphids, but also ants. The working fluid is prepared as follows: 2 g of powdered product is diluted in 1 liter of water.
8. Urea effectively fights aphids when combined with copper sulfate. Solution recipe: mix 70 g of urea, 50 kg of copper sulfate and 10 liters of water.

Spraying against aphids and other pests is carried out only in dry and not very hot weather. Fumigation and dusting are used only in calm times.

Infusions

With the help of some homemade infusions, you can also protect apple trees from aphids and similar insects.

Popular infusion recipes:

Advice! To enhance the effect of infusions, they can also be mixed with soap solution.

Mechanical methods

Mechanical methods are not so diverse:

• aphids can be washed off plants with water pressure;
• remove insects by hand.

These methods are not suitable for seedlings and weakened trees, as they can cause even more damage.

Seasonal features

The cycles for treating the garden against aphids depend on the growth phases of the apple tree:

1. February-March is characterized by a period of dormant buds. At this time, the trees are treated against pests that survived the winter months.
2. April-May is the period when buds open and trees bloom.
3. At the end of May-beginning of June, fruit set occurs. At this time, 1-2 treatments are carried out.
4. Active fruit growth occurs in June-July. During this period, it is necessary to spray the trees 2-3 times.
5. August-September is the fruiting period. If necessary, 1 or 2 disinfections are allowed at this time.
6. In October-November, after the harvest and the leaves have fallen, the last spraying of the year is carried out.

Advice! The age of the garden affects the number of treatments needed. For 5-7 years old, 7-8 events are enough, for 8-15 years old - 8-9, and for gardens over 15 years old - 10.

Ways to combat the parasite

To get rid of the parasite, you need to familiarize yourself with the most effective methods of control. There are several ways to remove aphids from an apple tree:

• Chemicals. Such products are considered the most effective and help clean trees from a large number of pests.
• Folk remedies. People who do not like to use chemicals spray trees with folk remedies. These include soap solutions and herbal infusions.

Prevention measures

Preventive measures help to significantly reduce the risk of aphids appearing on apple trees. List of required actions:

• systematically control weeds, which are wintering sites for insects;
• plant fragrant herbs and plants for ladybugs, create wintering conditions for them;
• monitor the condition of tree bark and, if necessary, treat it in a timely manner;
• correctly dose tree feeding to maintain the balance of nutrients;
• use traditional methods for periodic watering and dusting of trees.

Ants love honeydew, so their appearance indicates an imminent or already occurring aphid invasion.

Let's try new means!

"Decis Profi"

We decided not to give up and went in search of a new remedy. At the garden store, the salesperson recommended the drug "Decis Profi" to us. The packaging also says that the product effectively fights aphids on apple trees, codling moths, and Colorado potato beetles. Well, let's try! We will certainly share the result in the near future.