Aphids on cherries: the use of chemical and natural preparations

As soon as the first leaves of the cherry tree unfurl, the owner of the garden may discover that unwanted guests have appeared on them. Among the most dangerous and widespread are aphids, which gather in colonies of thousands. While feeding, it sucks dry young shoots, leaves and even buds. Plant growers have long developed methods for successfully combating aphids. For this purpose, there are special chemicals and folk recipes, and prevention of infection of fruit trees is carried out.

Description of insects

Aphids are a real scourge of gardens. There are more than five thousand varieties of these insects. The species, grazing on stone fruit trees, has a small body size (up to 1 mm). The color of chitin is black, making their clusters easily distinguishable against a green background and visible to the naked eye.

Wingless females produce offspring throughout the warm period of the year. In spring, winged females appear. They can fly and independently migrate to different parts of the garden.

At the end of summer and autumn, female aphids lay eggs, the larvae of which will begin to hatch in the spring, after the onset of stable warmth. When they are born, they begin to draw cell sap from the buds, leaves and young shoots. When the colony eats all the greenery, the parasites move to neighboring trees. To ensure that the fight against them is not ineffective, it is important to treat the garden in one step, without leaving a single tree or bush unattended. Otherwise, the gardener will not be able to completely destroy the enemy. At the same time, anthills on the site should be destroyed.

The problem with damage to stone fruit crops by this pest is that their colonies number thousands of individuals.

Signs of aphids

The size of an adult aphid is up to 2.5 mm, the color is black and shiny. Its reproduction occurs very quickly, constantly. As soon as the buds, leaves, and ovaries begin to bloom, they become a place for insect eggs to be laid. Soon, huge colonies of aphids occupy almost all the cherries. During the season, aphids produce up to 50 colonies.

The hatched larvae immediately begin feeding, the basis of which is the cell sap of the plant. With its proboscis, an aphid can only pierce the delicate skin of young leaves and buds. The digestive activity of the insect occurs with the release of sugary excrement, which clogs the stomata and contributes to the appearance of sooty fungus. The cherry immune system is destroyed and photosynthesis slows down. When aphids bite through plant tissue, they can infect it with viruses.

The main signs of cherry aphid damage are found in the summer, in June or July. When young shoots appear, you should carefully examine them, paying attention to the following signs:

the lower surfaces of the leaves and buds are covered with dense clusters of black insects;
the presence of sticky liquid on the affected parts of the cherry;
whitish remains of aphids after molting inside wrinkled leaves;
leaf wrinkling in the transverse direction or in the form of a spiral, withering, blackening, drying;
stopping the development of buds and berries;
infectious, fungal infection of cherries;
slow growth and development of the tree, freezing in winter;
the presence of many ants.

Aphids on cherries

Favorable temperature conditions

The massive appearance of black cherry aphids and insect larvae directly depends on the climate. Air temperature is of decisive importance for their reproduction and feeding intensity. Optimal temperature conditions are +25 C; in hotter weather, activity decreases, and at an average daily temperature below -6 C, the pests die.

Description and types of aphids

There are more than 5 thousand species of aphids in nature. But only some of them attack cherries. They are similar in many ways. But they also have certain differences.

Gall aphids on cherries

This pest is characterized by an ovoid body shape, the length of which reaches 2 mm. The color of gall aphids is greenish-yellow. There are small sparse hairs on her body. Peak pest activity is June. During the season it forms 3-20 generations. Favorable conditions for development are elevated air temperatures.

When affected, swellings called galls appear on the leaves of the cherry tree, which is why this species got its name. They appear when the tree tries to repair damaged tissue.

Aphids belong to the order Homoptera

Green aphids on cherries

This is a small insect with an oval body. Characterized by a dark green color. Aphids overwinter in the egg stage. Adults die when the temperature drops. Pest colonies are localized at the tops of young branches. And black eggs are laid at the base of buds and shoots. In the second generation, female settlers appear. Their function is to fly to neighboring crops for the purpose of reproduction.

Green aphids are activated by high humidity and high temperatures. Up to 19 generations of the pest can appear during a season.

Each female green aphid lays no more than five eggs at a time

Black aphids on cherries

The difference between this species is its black color. The pest has an ovoid body, ranging in size from 0.5 to 2 mm. Females are wingless and winged. The first ones appear at the beginning of the season from the overwintering clutch of eggs. The second - in the middle of summer. You can find a colony of black aphids on the back of cherry leaves.

Black aphids attack all stone fruits in the garden

How dangerous are aphids?

Insects do not damage cherry fruits, but after they occupy the tree, the gardener should no longer expect a full harvest. The result of dominance will be curled leaves, shriveled and fallen buds, and crumbled ovaries. The surviving fruits will develop weakly and unevenly, and ripe berries will have an ugly shape.

Cherry plantings infested with aphids will have a sharp reduction in yield. The parasite is especially dangerous for young trees or recently planted cuttings. Plants become weak and do not tolerate low temperatures well. They can freeze in winter.

It is worth adding that weakened cherries are more often susceptible to viruses and fungal diseases. Colonies of aphids leave a sweet coating on the leaves, on top of which an impenetrable crust later forms. As a result, the plant suffers from oxygen starvation, and pathogenic bacteria and fungal spores thrive in the sticky environment.

What harm does black aphid cause?

Pests cause the main damage to leaf and flower buds in the spring, during the period of their swelling and opening. Aphids suck the juice from barely formed leaf blades and buds, causing them to deform and fall off. A weakened cherry cannot bloom and form berries, it loses its foliage and may stop bearing fruit for several seasons.

If colonies spread throughout most of the tree, cracking of the bark and death of young shoots may occur. Damaged plants become a target for pathogenic microorganisms, fungi and various parasitic insects from other families. They settle on a weakened tree and can completely destroy it.

Reasons for the appearance of aphids in the garden

This could be a clogged area. In autumn, females lay eggs en masse on the leaves and stems of weeds. If the dead wood is left to winter, in the spring the young growth will move en masse from the weeds to the fruit trees.

The presence of an anthill nearby also encourages the appearance of aphids. Before the onset of winter cold, ants collect their eggs and hide them in the soil, and with the return of heat, they carry them onto the branches of the cherry tree and leave it there to develop. They act like diligent shepherds with livestock, breeding and caring for the offspring of those under their care. Thus, the ants provide themselves with food for the summer. Given this symbiosis, gardeners are advised not to allow ants to colonize the area.

Banishment by smell

Expelling insects with smell
To repel pests, you can use plants, flowers, and strong-smelling substances.

You can treat cherries against ants and aphids with garlic juice. Use the head or arrows of a winter plant. It is necessary to rub the trunk around. The persistent smell of garlic will scare off new pests and make established ones flee.
Twigs of wormwood and tansy are tied around the trunk. The plants are absolutely safe for the tree; they not only repel ants, but also cause toxicosis. It is necessary to prepare a tincture from these plants and coat the cherries. Pour 30 g of dry potion, 300 g of fresh flowers and 10 liters of water. They insist for a day. You can prepare a more concentrated composition, the cherries will not be harmed.
Cotton wool and wool are soaked in carbolic acid and tied with a belt around the trunk of the cherry tree. Removed after 3 days. Repeat the procedure several times until the ants' interest in cherries disappears.

Interesting!
Insects cannot tolerate the smell of anise, elderberry, peppermint, calendula, cloves, and tomato tops. These components can be used to construct belts, lay them around cherries, scatter them throughout the area, or grow plants in the garden. The protection lasts as long as the smell persists.

How not to miss a cherry infection

Detecting the pest is quite easy. In the spring, when warm weather has finally set in, you just need to periodically carefully examine the leaves and young light shoots. Clusters of black small aphids are easy to notice with the naked eye.

Signs of pests:

the lower part of the leaf blades is densely covered with black insects;
leaves become swollen and curl up
a sticky coating appears on the current year's shoots and young leaves
Many ants move around the tree, often there is an anthill nearby.

Which methods are better?

So, we figured out what aphids are and why they need to be exterminated. Now let's determine how to deal with the pest. So, today the following methods are known:

mechanical;
biological;
chemical;
folk remedies.

The choice is determined not so much by the desire of the gardener, but by the degree of damage to the tree. But if you want to achieve a quick and long-term effect, then it is better to use different methods.

What must be done first is to weed the ground around the seedling, remove small shoots and weeds.

Ants have no place on cherries

It sounds strange, but an effective way to protect fruit trees from aphids is to expel ants from the garden. To do this, you can attach a hunting belt made of fabric coated with a thick layer of sticky substance (vegetable oil, tar, thick grease, petroleum jelly) or pesticides to a tree trunk. The optimal place to install an obstacle course is the lower part of a tree trunk, at least 50 cm from the ground surface. This will stop migrants on their way to the top and branches of the cherry tree.

You can also remove the ant hill from the site. To do this, you need to dig up an anthill, put it in a metal bucket and take it far outside the garden. But it is worth remembering that this method is not a guarantee that insects will not return and build a new home in the same place. A more effective way to eliminate ants is to use insecticides. In this case, a solution of chemicals is sprayed directly onto and around the anthill. The drugs “Aardeater” and “Muravin”, which contain diazinon, have proven themselves well. This substance has a detrimental effect on the nervous system of insects.

How to process correctly

If the question of how to treat cherries against aphids has been resolved, then you should think about how to do it correctly.

Chemicals against aphids are used only in the spring, when the leaves appear on the cherries. Treatment with infusions and decoctions is possible in June and July. They do not harm beneficial insects, animals or people.

Spraying of trees should be done early in the morning. At this time, the sun does not heat too much and will not burn their leaves. Hands and face must be protected with gloves and a mask.

On a note!
If the poison gets on the skin or mucous membranes, then this area must be rinsed with plenty of cool water.

Before using the drug against aphids, you need to read the instructions and check its expiration date.

Natural control and prevention

If aphids appear on the leaves in small numbers, you can try to wash them off with a strong stream of water from a hose. Leaf-sucking insects also have natural enemies, so it is advisable to attract ladybugs and lacewings to the garden. You can purchase a bag of predatory insect eggs at a garden center. After purchase, they are placed in secluded places in the garden: in last year’s firewood and under the bark of stumps, or in houses similar to birdhouses. These predators will help control the pest population.

You should not plant some herbs and root vegetables next to cherries. The smell of marigolds, marigolds, nasturtiums, poppy seeds, carrots and dill is clearly felt by aphids even from a distance. The aroma acts on them like a magnet. The proximity of other plants has an irritating and restraining effect. It is recommended to plant lavender, garlic and onions as a barrier.

How to fight parasites

When aphids appear on cherries, measures to combat which we will highlight below, do not panic. The disease is treated simply, but in several stages. An integrated approach is important here, that is, the use of several effective techniques.

Mechanical method

The mechanical method will save cherries to a lesser extent. But if it is combined with spraying, the result will be positive. This method involves removing areas affected by aphids. Non-lignified ends of shoots, leaves, and inflorescences are trimmed.

Important! You can’t pick it off, as you can harm the cherry tree: break the integrity of the bark, accidentally cut off the entire shoot or break it. It is also not recommended to crush the aphids; it is better to put them in a container of water and cover with a lid.

Biological

Some gardeners do not practice the manual method and the processing of cherries with chemicals, since chemical elements penetrate into the cherries, and when picking by hand, branches and leaves can be damaged. The biological method is to attract birds or insects to the garden, which destroy pests. This method of control is absolutely safe for both cherries and humans.

Destruction should begin at the moment when the aphids multiply to the maximum. To do this, they buy insects from specialized stores that eat the pest and release them into the garden. These “beneficial” insects include:

wasps;
hoverflies;
ladybugs and their larvae;
lacewings.

An alternative to beneficial insects is birds. They are specially attracted to the garden by placing all kinds of feeders and houses. These could be simple sparrows and tits, robins and kinglets, similar small birds that feed on insects.

This should also include the cultivation of certain fungi that produce bacteria that infect aphids, after which the insect dies. These bacteria are called avermectins. In addition to adult specimens, they actively eat aphid eggs. Nemabact is such a means of control.

Technological method

This method involves planting plants that have a negative effect on pests. Usually these are strong-smelling herbs and flowers. Under the cherry you can place:

onion or garlic;
fennel;
fragrant or spicy herbs;
tagetes (marigold), Dalmatian chamomile, pyrethrum.

These plants are carriers of pyrethrins, insect repellent substances.

Chemical methods

The use of chemicals against black aphids on cherries can have both pros and cons. Insecticides work very effectively against aphids, but can accumulate in different parts of the cherry, including the fruit, making them unsuitable for consumption for some time.

Pesticides are usually used 20 days before flowering and 20 days before the main harvest. This technique is necessary to protect children from eating harmful berries and the bees that pollinate cherries.

What drugs are used to treat cherry bushes:

Aktara;
Aktellik;
Inta-vir;
Bi-58;
Spark;
Aktofit;
Confidor.

These general-purpose insecticides will help get rid of not only aphids, but also other pests. It is recommended to treat the bushes twice, with a 10-day break. The working fluid should be prepared according to the instructions and used in one go, using personal protective equipment.

Traditional methods

Home remedies and folk recipes have been popular for a long time. Before you run to the store for expensive insecticides, you need to see what else you can do to help your cherries. The most effective recipes are:

A solution of laundry soap and vegetable oil. The body of the aphid is enveloped in the components of the solution and prevents the entry of oxygen into the body, and the aphid breathes through the skin. To 2 glasses of water add 2 tablespoons of grated soap and 1 glass of oil.
A decoction of wood ash, which is used to irrigate leaves and shoots. Boil 1.5 cups of sifted ash in 2 liters of water. Boil for half an hour. Dilute with cold water in a bucket to make 10 liters of liquid solution.
Infusion of herbs: tagetes, potato tops, tomato (foliage), yarrow. Grind, add water and leave for 2-3 days. The treatment is carried out twice, with a break of 10 days.
Mix 10 liters of water, 40 grams of ammonia and 2 tablespoons of tar soap. Treat in the spring, before the leaves bloom.
Garlic infusion. Chop the garlic cloves (2-3 pieces), add 2 large spoons of vegetable oil and 1 spoon of liquid soap. All ingredients are poured into ½ liter of water and left for several days. Then filter and dilute - 2 tablespoons of concentrate per 1.5 liters of water.

There are a lot of recipes. You can spray with a decoction of onion peels, a solution of calcined salt. Some folk remedies act as foliar feeding of cherries .

Chemical methods

The fight against aphids should begin when the first individuals are noticed on the cherry tree. All subsequent procedures are performed after the appearance of the next generation of insects. Based on weather conditions and the number of parasites, choose a suitable product for spraying plants.

If we are talking about a large infestation, when it is already difficult, and sometimes impossible, to control insects with contact chemical solutions, a systemic or deep-acting insecticide should be used. The effect of the latest drugs comes faster. This is due both to the feeding characteristics of aphids and to the mode of action of the medicine. It enters the vessels of the plant and circulates in its cells. The parasite feeds on the sap of the leaves, simultaneously absorbing the toxic active substance, and, as a result, quickly dies.

When using chemical plant protection products, it is important to remember to alternate products. For each new treatment, you need to use different insecticides (Aktara, Enzhio 247 SC, Actellik, Nitrafen, No aphids, Clean trunk).

In addition, they must contain agents from different chemical groups and have a different mechanism of action, always in the recommended concentration. This will avoid the acquisition of insect resistance to active substances and increase the effectiveness of treatment.

How to recognize black aphids

Before spraying trees that have pests, you need to find out what kind of insect it is and what should be used to treat the cherry. One of the unpleasant species is the black or cherry aphid, which settles on cherry and cherry trees. The pest can be recognized by the following signs:

the insect has a black drop-shaped body, up to 5 mm long;
settles in large colonies, forming a dense cluster of insects in a small area;
Many ants appear on the plant and garden area, collecting sweet honeydew (a waste product of aphids).

Black aphids on cherries are often concentrated on the branches of new growth and the back of young leaves, where the outer layer of the epidermis is still quite thin and can be easily pierced by the proboscis. A characteristic feature that makes it easy to distinguish this parasite from other insects is its soft body, which is very easy to crush. After mechanical action, a red mark remains, the color of which is similar to cherry juice.

Ecological methods

Organic insecticides have a short-acting effect, unlike chemical ones, but the use of plant extracts can also effectively kill garden pests without exposing people and animals to contact with poisons.

Before you start processing cherries with natural means, you need to properly prepare the solution:

Cold extract - the preparation is prepared from fresh and dried plants, filled with cold water. To do this, it is better to use rainwater and leave the infusion for 24 hours to 3 days. Spraying is carried out with a diluted liquid in a ratio of 1:1. It is important that the mixture does not ferment.

Decoction - fresh plants are soaked in water for 24 hours. Next, the solution is heated and boiled over low heat for 30 minutes. Then cool under the lid and filter. For use, dilute in a ratio of 1:10.

Infusion - crushed plant parts are poured with boiling water. After cooling, the infusion should be diluted in a ratio of 1:5, to obtain a weaker drug - 1:10.

If a gardener does not want to use chemicals on cherries, caring for the health of the family, you can prepare an insecticidal preparation using plants. Treatment with natural solutions, unlike chemicals, does not last long. Therefore, after 5-7 days the procedure should be repeated. The plants that served as the basis for the solutions do not need to be thrown away; they will serve as mulch or be put into compost.

How to treat cherries against diseases?

Among the many diseases that affect fruit trees, there are those that pose the greatest threat to cherries. And the point is not only in their danger, but also in their prevalence. Spring preventative spraying allows you to prevent the development of these diseases in time.

Scab

A common fungal disease that affects leaves and fruits. The result of infection is loss of yield. When affected, the leaves become covered with brown-olive spots with a velvety structure. Yellowish circles appear around the spots.

Later, fungal spores migrate to the fruits, causing them to crack before they ripen. The disease especially often appears after heavy rainfall.

How to fight:

In the spring, before the buds open, the tree trunk circles are treated with Nitrophen.
The second stage is treatment with 1% Bordeaux mixture. The first time the cherries are sprayed is when the buds begin to bloom, then after flowering.

To prevent scab infection from recurring next year, treatment with Bordeaux mixture is carried out in the summer, after harvesting the fruits.

Moniliosis

This disease, more commonly known as fruit rot, is caused by a fungus. Symptoms: leaves dry out, fruits do not ripen and become mummified, softened areas appear on the shoots, and the bark cracks. On large trees, affected and healthy parts can be clearly distinguished.

Branches infected with moniliosis dry out. Some even turn black. When the berries ripen, they rot and become covered with a whitish-gray coating.

How to fight:

Before the buds swell, spray the cherries with 3% Bordeaux mixture.
Before flowering, treat the tree with a 4% Zineba solution. If you were unable to spray the cherries before flowering, do it at the budding stage. Use 1% Topsin for this purpose. It can also be used for subsequent spraying.
Immediately after dropping the petals, treat the tree with Horus.

If the cherry variety is resistant to moniliosis, then no more spraying will be needed during the season.

Brown spot

This fungal disease is also called phyllostictosis. Small brown spots with dark rims and black dots appear on the leaves. With severe damage, the leaves dry out and fall off.

How to fight:

Spray the tree with 1% copper sulfate until the buds open.
In the “green cone” phase or during budding, apply Bordeaux mixture.
After flowering, re-treat the trees with 1% Bordeaux mixture, and two weeks after flowering, spray again.

Clusterosporiasis

The second name for this fungal disease is perforated spotting. The microorganism affects almost all above-ground parts of the plant - buds, leaves, flowers, ovaries, fruits and even woody shoots.

The disease is easily recognized by multiple holes in the leaves. First, small red-brown and crimson spots appear on them, which enlarge and become perforated. The fruits become stained and mummified. The bark of the affected tree cracks and gum flows from it.

How to fight:

In the spring, before the leaves bloom, spray the cherries with a 3% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. Treat not only the crown, but also the tree trunk, as well as the soil underneath it.
When the cherry blossoms, spray it with Horus, Captan, Signum or Topaz, and after a couple of weeks, repeat the treatment with Bordeaux mixture.

Coccomycosis

This is a dangerous fungal disease in which the leaves of the tree first become covered with red-brown spots and then die. The foliage of diseased trees falls off long before autumn. The fruits, even if they ripen, become covered with brown spots and become mummified.

How to fight:

First, before the buds swell, spray the cherries with copper-containing preparations - Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.
At the “green cone” stage, re-spray the tree with copper preparations, or even better, copper oxychloride.
During the budding period, use more serious drugs - for example, Topaz, Chorus, etc.

Fighting aphids with chamomile

There is an opinion that chamomile contains the pyrethroid substances mentioned above, which have a detrimental effect on aphids. Therefore, it is often used to prepare folk remedies against parasites.

In fact, not many people know that these substances are found in large quantities only in Dalmatian chamomile (feverfew). Pharmaceutical, low-growing, fragrant chamomile and its other types are completely useless for protecting plants from aphids, and treatment with solutions based on them does not give any effect, but only leads to the loss of precious time and aggravates the problem.

Possible causes

To begin with, it is worth deciding what the reasons for the appearance of these insects are. Adult females with wings are primarily responsible for dispersing their offspring. In June and July, they begin to move to large areas and lay eggs in hard-to-reach places.

In the warmth, adult wingless females quickly emerge from the eggs, which are already capable of reproducing without fertilization. They produce most of the insects that attack the crop. Aphids usually appear in gardens overgrown with weeds and on weakened trees.

Ants also spread these pests. Honeydew, which is constantly secreted by aphids, is one of their main sources of nutrition. Therefore, ants take care of aphid colonies.

They protect them from enemies and help them capture new territories.

Fighting aphids with cola

If the cherry is in the ripening phase and there is a danger of spoiling the harvest, you can use gentle control measures using folk remedies. For example, treat cherries with Coca-Cola.

The sweet drink contains a large amount of sugars and acids, which form a thin viscous film on the surface of the wood. The use of cola to control aphids is related to the way these insects breathe. The aphid's spiracles are located on its belly, not far from its legs. And while the aphid crawls on the film formed by sweet water, its spiracles become clogged. Clogged spiracles do not allow the pest to receive oxygen, leading to rapid death.

Why do aphids need to be destroyed?

Of course, it would be good to fight aphids, as they say, with the whole world: together with your neighbors. But there may be an abandoned garden nearby, or other gardeners may not see this insect as a big problem. If this is your case, do not despair, you can cope with the pest alone.

But it is necessary to solve the problem, otherwise you risk not only being left without a harvest of delicious cherries, but also without the tree itself. Aphids love young shoots, so they primarily attack seedlings at the growth stage. At this time they are most vulnerable.

A tree attacked by aphids looks like this:

leaves curl, turn yellow and fall off;
There are black bugs on the leaves sucking the sap of the plant.

Just miss the time and the aphids will spread to other plants, and this will require a lot of effort in fighting it. We begin protective measures in advance.

Take a piece of paper and write down the actions on it by season: autumn, spring and summer. In winter, it is enough to inspect the shoots and, if necessary, throw snow to the roots, insulating them.