How to get rid of worms in cherries and what to spray with

Where do worms come from in berries?

Cherries are the first berries to ripen in orchards.
It is eaten both fresh and in canned form. The main enemy of cherries is the cherry fly. She lays her larvae in the pulp of the berry. The cherry fly is 3-5 mm long. It feeds on waste products of cherry aphids. After saturation, the flies begin to lay eggs. The masonry is made in green, unripe fruits of cherries or cherries. On a note! Oviposition of flies is carried out in sunny weather, at a temperature of +18 oC.

Adults live 45 days and die after laying eggs. A week later, white worms, 0.5 cm long, appear. Eating the pulp lasts 16-20 days. After this, the parasite climbs out, reaching a length of 6-8 mm and:

1. The pupation process begins.
2. The pupa appears in early June.
3. To complete the life cycle, negative temperatures are required. For this reason, they go under the snow cover for the winter.

Damaged cherries become soft and darken. The taste of the fruit also deteriorates. They turn into pupae the following year in April-May. Most often, the pupae fly out of the pulp before the berries fall. Interestingly, the appearance of flies can be tracked by the blooming of the acacia tree. White acacia - Robinia - is considered common. When the first shoots appear, you can expect the arrival of flies.

Prevention

If the owner of the site notices that worms have appeared on fruit trees, he needs to immediately begin treating the fruits with insecticides. Experts advise performing at least two procedures for better results. The trees should be treated for the first time before the cherry flies begin to emerge. At this hour the temperature does not reach below 19 degrees. You can track the beginning of the appearance of flies by the flowering of acacia. It is then that the soil in which the insects hide should be treated.

To catch as many flies as possible, some gardeners prefer to use yellow glue traps that are attached to trees. You can make them yourself. To do this, take cardboard and mold yellow paper onto it. Apply ALT glue on top or smear the paper with something sweet, such as honey. When there are more than ten flies on the trap, this will signal the beginning of their active activity.

Fighting the cherry fly - a way to avoid the appearance of worms in berries

The second treatment should be carried out a couple of weeks before the start of harvest. The following products may be used:

• Aktara;
• Lightning;
• Karate;
• Spark.

To prevent pests from getting used to the compositions, it is recommended to change them annually. You can spray trees three times - before flowering, during it, and also ten days after it. After collecting the berries, they need to be washed well with water.

To remove worms, some gardeners are afraid to use chemicals for fear of ruining the taste of the berries. To prevent flies from disturbing the cherry harvest, you can use folk tricks.

How to get rid of worms in cherries

A logical question arises - how to get rid of worms in cherries. The first thing to do is to place black film or roofing felt on the ground in front of the trunk. It will work as a trap for insects that have overwintered in the soil. Berries cannot be left on the tree, and those that have fallen must be buried 0.5 m underground.

To understand how to get rid of worms in cherries, you need to study control methods. To get rid of worms, you should take the following steps:

• fight weeds;
• remove fallen leaves and broken branches;
• apply fertilizing in a timely manner.

The correct approach to agricultural technology will help you get a good harvest and preserve a flowering tree.

Signs of worm influence on cherries

Where do worms come from in cherries? This question is quite popular during the harvest period. Wormy cherries are caused by the deposition of cherry fly larvae. A small insect feasts on the sweet secretion of cherry aphids, which infects young shoots of a fruit tree. As soon as the fly is satisfied, it makes a puncture in the berry and leaves its eggs in it. As a result, the berry begins to rot and falls off long before full ripening occurs. A rotting berry becomes attractive to a large number of flies. They are the carriers of many infectious diseases and pose a danger to the human body.

Important! The white worms themselves in cherries, the larvae, do not harm the human body. However, it is they who create favorable conditions for the reproduction of flies, which pose a threat to the body. To protect yourself, you need to remove the worms from the cherries and pour boiling water over the berries. Only after this they can be consumed.

Worms in cherries

Is it possible to eat wormy cherries?

Wormy cherries are not always noticeable at first glance. The larvae are not harmful to health. Symptoms of poisoning may appear after eating berries treated with chemicals.

How to determine that a wormy cherry has grown:

1. The first step is to remove leaves, branches, tails and completely rotten berries from the collected berries. Removing the tails will help the saline solution get into the inner fibers of the fruit.
2. Then, they sort the berries and remove any worms. Next, you need to break the fruit and remove the stone from it, because... worms are most often located next to it.

For a harvest of 1.5 kg, the berries are soaked in 3 liters of water with added salt for 2 hours. The water should be at room temperature, and the salt should be completely dissolved so that crystals do not settle at the bottom.

Note!

The berries are lowered into the container so that the water covers them completely. After 30 minutes you will be able to see the floating worms.

The water is drained and the berries are washed under the tap. If you process the berries in this way, they can be consumed in the form of jam or compote.

Removal methods

The easiest way to remove worms is to pour salt water over the berries. To do this, pour the berries into a bowl, after sorting out and cutting off the stalks. This is done so that liquid gets into the berry through the holes that appear. You should also remove all leaves and spoiled cherries.

Also read:

How to get rid of worms in mushrooms

The berries are washed well, then poured with water at room temperature, completely covering the fruit. Add salt (take a tablespoon of salt for half a liter of liquid), dissolve it in water so that no crystals remain. The cherries are “forgotten” for half an hour. You can leave the berries overnight. After this time, the berries are washed under running water using a colander. The worms will have to crawl out of their shelter on their own. The berries can be safely eaten, used for canning and making compote.

There is another way to get rid of pests in berries. You need to put the fruits in the refrigerator. Sensing a drop in temperature, the worms will crawl out on their own.

The most labor-intensive way is to cut each berry and clean it of worms with a knife. This path is not for the lazy

You can use a tool to squeeze out the seeds. Most often, worms are found on the bone, so by removing it, you can forget about the pest problem. To be more confident that the berries are clean, you can rinse them with water through the hole.

Many people are concerned about what will happen if they eat a wormy berry. If it has already rotted, perhaps the fruits will be a little bitter. If the berries are fresh, the eater will not feel any unpleasant taste.

How to protect and get rid of worms

To protect against harmful insects, various compositions can be used. Protective measures include: destruction of aphids, growing plants that repel insects - marigolds, nasturtium, marigolds and the use of bio-compositions. It is worth considering that early ripening varieties of cherries should not be treated with chemicals. They should be planted as far as possible from late and mid-late ripening varieties. So, when spraying, the substances of the composition will not fall on healthy trees.

Wormy cherries can be treated in several ways. For example:

• working with soil;
• use of chemical compounds;
• folk remedies.

When working with soil, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil. If the soil is already contaminated, then chemicals are used along with loosening. The immersion depth should be 10 cm. Removal of weeds and timely collection of berries is mandatory.

In the spring, the appearance of pests causes a particularly unpleasant sensation, because... Every summer resident is already waiting for the first berries to appear. An interesting way to remove worms from a garden bed is to introduce chickens to the area, which will remove the fly pupae from the ground. They themselves will receive an additional power source. Afterwards, you can dig and loosen the soil.

Next, a black film is laid on the soil. This will prevent young flies from flying out. As soon as the flies begin to flock, you can use chemicals.

Advice!

In early April, before the first leaves appear, it is worth treating the bush with copper sulfate or copper oxychloride.

As for vitriol, 125 ml of liquid is diluted in 10 liters of hot, but not boiling water. In a separate container, dilute water and lime. The mixtures are combined and poured into a sprayer. When using copper oxychloride, 40 g of the substance is dissolved in 10 liters of water. The solution is used during the period when buds appear.

Why cherries are wormy: causes and methods of control

The cherry fly is a small insect whose length varies from 3 to 5 mm. She spends the winter in the upper layers of the soil, and when it starts to warm up, she climbs to the surface to find food. These pests consume the secretions of cherry aphids, which have a sweet taste, as well as cherry and sweet cherry juice.

When the flies are full, they begin to lay offspring. Pests lay eggs inside the cherry. Wormy fruits begin to rot and fall to the ground.

The discovery of worms in early varieties of cherries is a rather rare case, because the flies do not have time to lay larvae in them. In order to combat these pests, gardeners loosen the soil around the tree trunk in the fall, summer and spring. The harvest must be harvested very quickly, and fallen cherry berries must be thrown away. When there are too many cherry flies in the garden, the trees need to be treated with insecticides.

conclusions

1. Worms in cherries are not only not healthy, but also completely unpleasant. They will not poison you, but the affected fruits often begin to rot, and eating rotten fruits can already cause health problems.
2. The worms hatch from cherry fly eggs. They are very small, but are capable of destroying significant amounts of crops.
3. The main methods of control are proper agricultural technology, bait with sweet drinks, and insecticidal preparations. They can be used in combination or separately.
4. To remove worms from the harvested crop, soak in cold water. The most effective way is to add salt to the water and soak the berries in this solution for half an hour.
5. Since the larvae overwinter in the ground as worms, do not be lazy in digging up the soil under garden trees.

Read about apple tree fruit rot in this article.

Use traditional methods

How to get rid of worms in cherries without treating the fruit with chemicals:

Adviсe

Early varieties of cherries, such as: early cherries

,common cherry

, cherry

cherry, columnar cherry

, are less susceptible to cherry fly attacks than later ones - plant them on your site to minimize the risk of infection. The fact is that early varieties bloom before midges become active, and the crop remains unharmed.

To combat aphids, you can use a solution of ash with laundry soap or wormwood decoction. Remember that the absence of aphids is the key to good harvests.

Read about aphids on currants in this material.

When you harvest, do not be lazy to remove the fallen berries from the ground, since pests may crawl out of them in the future. Bury the carrion to a depth of at least 0.5 m - in this case, the worms will not have time to pupate.

What to do if worms have already appeared

Bordeaux mixture should be used to spray cherries even if the larvae of this pest have already appeared on them. In this case, spraying should be carried out a couple of times per season.

When spraying cherry foliage, you should also treat the soil with chemicals, in which the larvae of this “harmful” insect can also settle.

If there are a lot of similar insects in the garden, then insecticides can be used for spraying. In this case, you need to spray these stone fruit trees at least twice.

• The first time the treatment should be carried out during the acacia flowering period, when the cherry fly begins to fly out intensively. During the first spraying, you can also focus on complete warming of the soil, which occurs when the air temperature rises above +17°C.
• The next time the cherries are processed two weeks after the first treatment. However, this treatment must be carried out when there are more than 14 days left before harvest.

READ ALSO: Is it necessary to soak onion sets before planting and why?

To process sweet cherries (as well as cherries), you should take any chemical preparations that cope with any flying pests: Lightning, Spark, Aktara and others similar.

However, when treating fruit trees, the preparations must be changed periodically so that the pests do not become accustomed to the insecticides used.

And it should be remembered that if any chemicals were used during the ripening process, then the harvested cherries must be washed well before eating.

Causes of worms

White, small worms that eat cherry berries are the larvae of cherry flies. The cherry fly (Rhagoletis cerasi) is an insidious two-winged insect with a black color and a size of 3-5 mm. Adults have yellow stripes along the back, and black transverse stripes on the transparent wings. The longest period of life of a fly occurs in the winter months, when it overwinters in the form of a pupa at a depth of 2-5 cm in the ground.

If you eat a wormy berry: consequences

Many of us enjoy eating cherries or sweet cherries, without thinking that there may be a larva inside. And only after breaking the fruit, with disgust, does he discover a pest there. Some people immediately throw the berry away, others remove the worm and eat the juicy pulp. Many people begin to get nervous, thinking about the fact that they could have swallowed a worm before. I would like to understand whether worms in cherries are harmful?

However, according to medical professionals, the protein eaten does not pose any danger to the body. The fruit develops only a slight bitterness. The chemicals used to treat the berries can cause much more harm. Poorly washed cherries can also lead to problems in the gastrointestinal tract.

What you need to remember when planning to enjoy juicy fruits:

• Before eating, the berries must be thoroughly washed (this minimizes the risk of poisoning), especially if the harvest is not harvested from your own garden.
• The danger comes not from the larvae inside the berry, but from the pulp rotting from their influence, which attracts flies that carry various infections. Therefore, it is recommended to sort and throw away defective fruits.

If it’s a shame to throw away the wormy berries, you can remove the pest and treat the pulp with boiling water. It is possible to remove the larvae by lowering the cherries or cherries, after tearing off the tails (this will help the liquid quickly penetrate inside), into a container with salted water at room temperature. Within half an hour, the worms will leave the shelter on their own, after which the fruits can be eaten or processed.

Of course, no one likes to see a crawling worm in their favorite berry. However, they cannot bring much harm to a person, other than a spoiled mood.

Important! The presence of worms in the fruits indicates that the berries were not treated with chemicals. However, knowing this is unlikely to be a consolation for those who were unable to enjoy the delicious food.

Fighting cherry fly on cherries

The main methods of combating wormy cherries involve spraying trees. It is important to choose the right time for treatment when cherry fly activity begins. In this case, the timing of crop ripening is taken into account.

When to spray cherries against cherry flies

Approximate time frame for treating cherries against cherry flies:

• in early spring;
• during the flowering period;
• at the beginning of fruiting.

Treatment in early spring will help get rid of cherry fly pupae, from which worms later emerge. It is carried out after the snow melts and before the buds swell. If the timing of the first spraying is missed, it can be done during the flowering period and at the beginning of fruit ripening.

First, cherry flies are identified using traps. Buy adhesive tape at the garden store. However, you can make the bait yourself: mix 2 tbsp in one container. l. castor oil, 1 tbsp. l. rosin and honey (jam). The mixture is heated and stirred until the ingredients are completely dissolved.

Then take a sheet of plywood or cardboard and paint it yellow. The resulting mass is applied on top. The honey attracts the cherry fly, and the sticky mixture prevents it from flying away and laying larvae in the cherry. It's better to make several traps and place them around the garden. If the number of flies on the plywood exceeds 20, then immediately begin spraying the cherries.

Attention! More often, worms appear in cherries of mid-late and late varieties. Early varieties manage to produce a harvest before the fly appears.

When using chemicals against worms, treatments are carried out no more than once every 2 weeks. All spraying is stopped 3 weeks before harvesting. It is better to choose a cloudy day when there is no rain and strong wind. It is possible to postpone processing to morning or evening. The main condition is the absence of direct sunlight, which causes burns on the leaves and flowers of the cherry.

How to treat cherries against cherry flies

Preparations for worms on cherries are called insecticides. These are substances whose action is aimed at destroying the pest. A solution consisting of water and the selected drug is prepared against the cherry fly. The concentration is selected according to the instructions.

Organophosphorus compounds (OP) are effective against worms in cherries. They are less hazardous to the environment than chlorine-based substances. Advantages of FOS: high activity, impact on various insects, rapid decomposition in the soil, low consumption.

Effective chemicals for treating cherries in the spring against cherry flies and worms:

• Detox. A systemic agent with a wide spectrum of effects. Within an hour after spraying, the solution is not washed off by rain. The active ingredient dimethoate is highly active at the initial stage; the death of cherry flies and worms occurs within 3 hours after treatment. The waiting period for the drug is 40 days, 2 treatments are performed during the season.
• Fufanon Expert. The drug has the form of an aqueous emulsion. The active ingredient is malathion, which, when a cherry fly enters the body, is converted into toxins. The product is suitable for spraying cherries against worms during the growing season. 1200 liters of solution are required per 1 hectare. The period of validity is 20 days, 2 treatments per season are sufficient.
• Cyperus. Suppresses the spread of many agricultural pests, including the cherry fly and its worm larvae. The active substance is cypermethrin, which has a contact and intestinal effect. As a result, paralysis occurs in adult insects and larvae. After spraying cherries against flies and worms, the solution remains on the treated surfaces for 20-30 days. The substance does not degrade under the sun and at high temperatures, is not toxic to plants, however, it is dangerous for fish and bees.

Important! When interacting with drugs, precautions are taken: wear gloves, eye and respiratory protection. Children and animals are removed from the treatment site.

How to treat cherries after flowering

To prevent worms from appearing in the fruits, a solution based on the following preparations is prepared for spraying cherries:

• Novaktion. A drug based on malathion begins to act when a cherry fly enters the body. A solution containing 13 ml of the drug per 1 liter of water is prepared against worms in cherries. Leave 20 days between treatments.
• Fufanon-Nova. The drug has the form of an aqueous emulsion. To rid cherries of worms, 11.5 ml of the substance is diluted in 10 liters of water to obtain a working solution. Consumption per tree ranges from 2 to 5 liters, depending on its age and size. The active substance is malathion, which has intestinal and contact effects. The treatment is repeated no earlier than after 20 days. During the season, 2 sprays are enough against worms. The drug has low toxicity, quickly begins to act on insects, and is odorless. It is also used against aphids, sawflies, leaf beetles, moths, and scale insects.

Spraying cherries against worms without chemicals

Not all gardeners decide to use chemicals on their site. Then folk remedies come to the rescue. Their advantage is that they are harmless to humans and plants. The easiest way is to use traps. The pest is also repelled by strong odors.

How to protect cherries from cherry flies using traditional methods:

• Sweet baits. The fly is attracted to sweet smells. A little beer, water with sugar or honey, or compote are poured into a cut-off plastic bottle or other container. Baits are hung on tree branches. Usually 3-4 traps are enough for one cherry.
• Herbal infusion. The solution with a strong odor repels the fly, and it does not have time to lay larvae in the fruit. Such products are prepared on the basis of wormwood, tobacco dust, onion peels, garlic, and pine branches. To make the solution stick better, add crushed soap.
• Plants with a strong odor. Herbs with a strong smell will help fight flies and worms. Marigolds, tansy, mint, and calendula are planted under the tree.

Detailed instructions on how to get rid of worms in cherries are given in the video review: