Cherry pests - fighting them, treatment methods, what to spray, video

Cherry trees attract not only people who wish to eat ripe fruits, but also insects.
What are cherry pests and how to control them? Photos and descriptions will help you better study plant enemies and find ways to destroy them. Fruit trees in our gardens become the subject of close attention of insects that infect almost all parts of the plantings. Leaves and ovaries, flower buds and already ripe fruits, small and large branches suffer from pests. When there is a massive infestation of aphids, caterpillars of various species, and leaf roller mites, they can cause serious damage to the garden, weaken it, or even destroy it.

Which uninvited guests are the most dangerous? How to treat cherries against pests, and when is the best time to carry out such work?

Cherry weevil

Small, golden-reddish beetles up to 5 mm long feed from early veins on cherry buds, young foliage and flowers. And such damage indicates a serious danger from pests, but weevils do not disdain filling fruits, eating away the indentations right down to the very pit. Here, cherry pests lay their eggs, and the hatching larvae continue to cause damage, destroying the core of the seed. Spoiled fruits fall off, and the larvae move from them to the ground, where they successfully pupate and wait for spring.

In early spring, when the snow has melted but the buds have not yet awakened, cherry weevils can be manually shaken off onto improvised materials spread under the trees, collected and burned. This method is convenient if low-growing varieties grow in hell, but is completely unsuitable when the pest threatens large trees 5–7 meters high.

Therefore, a more competent and long-term way is to install fishing belts. They will protect the plantings not only immediately, but also throughout most of the summer.

When attacked by weevils, chemical means of protection, as well as traditional methods, are used. How to spray cherries against pests in this case? Modern insecticides, which are used to irrigate crowns, trunks and tree trunks, help against beetles. Treatment is carried out early, after flowering and in the fall, after leaf fall.

In addition, cherries can be treated with a daily infusion of fragrant or chamomile. A bucket of hot water will require 100 grams of plant material and half a bar of crushed laundry soap.

How to deal with black and green aphids

Most often, a gardener discovers aphids when part of the flora on his site is damaged. Over the winter, the larvae turn into insects. In the spring, when it has become warm enough, they quickly occupy green surfaces. From the outside it looks like a bunch of moving dots on the leaves and shoots.

Larvae and adults overwinter under the tree bark. During this period, you can treat the tree with chemicals, the most popular are “Iskra”, “Commander”, “Fitoferm”. Treatment must be done no later than 1-1.5 months in advance. before harvest (for “Phytofarms” the terms are slightly shorter). We need cool, dry, windless weather. The first procedure is carried out while the buds have not yet opened.

Advice. Follow the dosage, timing and other recommendations on the drug label.

There are many common folk remedies. They can process cherries at any time and with any frequency. Among the recipes:

Liquid or dissolved soap (2 tsp), diluted in a glass of vegetable oil. You can try it without oil.
Infusion of wood ash (0.5 kg per bucket of water, should stand for 3 days).
An infusion of chopped potato or tomato tops and tobacco leaves.
An infusion of garlic (3-4 cloves), vegetable oil (2 tsp) and liquid soap (1 tsp).

When spraying, pay special attention to the back of the leaves. Of course, no drug treatment will be effective without parallel prevention. The most important measure is to control ants.

Slimy and other sawfly species

If larvae appear on the leaves, which simultaneously resemble slugs and caterpillars, then the cherry tree in the area is threatened by the slimy sawfly. The cherry pest shown in the photo and its control should be under the special control of the gardener.

Smooth greenish-black larvae do not exceed 4–6 mm in length and appear on young foliage. Finding itself on the upper part of the leaf blade, the sawfly eats away its juicy part, without touching the veins and lower part. As a result of this exposure, the damaged tissue dries quickly, and the leaves on the tree become covered with burn-like spots. Mass infection leads to premature leaf fall, weakening of plants and poor wintering. In the fall, the larvae enter the soil, and in the spring they fly out, becoming adults, ready to reproduce as insects.

Close relatives of the described pest are no less dangerous for cherries: yellow plum and pale-legged sawflies, cherry sawflies. They also damage leaves and ovaries, and closer to autumn they move to the ground and overwinter safely at shallow depths.

To combat the sawfly, insecticides are used if this does not harm the ripening crop. With minimal infestation, the larvae are picked by hand or washed off with a stream of water onto a film or cloth spread under the tree.

Instead of using chemicals to treat cherries against pests, experienced gardeners recommend using a strong infusion of smoking tobacco.

Aphids and their harmful effects

This is a recognizable insect, the size of which does not exceed 7 mm.
It settles on green shoots and leaves of cherry trees in places protected from rain and sun. In addition, these are the juiciest areas, and it is the plant sap that aphids feed on. It is easy to distinguish - these are small black or green insects that leave extensive colonies of their larvae on areas of the tree. After the pest appears, the leaves become sticky, begin to darken, curl, stop photosynthesizing, and eventually dry out. The shoots and ovary suffer similarly. In addition to yield losses, aphids directly harm the health of the tree. Affected plant:

begins to grow more slowly or stops altogether;
weakens;
becomes less resistant to parasites and fungal spores;
tolerates winter worse.

Aphids on cherry leaves
Regardless of the type of aphid, in the seasonal cycle individuals have winged and wingless forms:

The former, with the help of the wind, can move a colony over an impressive distance, up to 25 km. They also lay eggs during the winter.
The wingless ones significantly expand the population, being responsible for mass reproduction in spring and summer. Simply put, when there are too many aphids on a plant, a generation with wings is born, which transfers part of one colony to another place. Peak pest activity occurs in June. During a season, about 14 generations of insects are born in one colony.

Attention! Aphids and ants are mutually supportive insects. The ants feed on aphid excrement and in return protect its larvae.

Cherry aphid

Cherry or black aphids appear on the tops of young branches in the first month of summer. Insect pests of cherries, which reproduce quickly, cover the succulent parts of the shoots in a dense ball in a matter of days. By feeding on plant juices, aphids cause deformation of the affected leaves and stems. As a result, the garden suffers and productivity decreases:

Tree growth stops or stops.
Plants weaken, and fungal infections easily develop in areas damaged by aphids.
The chances of getting a harvest next year are reduced.

When the cherry pest shown in the photo appears, the fight against it should consist not only of treating it with chemicals, but also of following agricultural practices.

Important:

reduce the population of garden ants that spread aphids to crop plants;
carry out competent regular pruning of diseased and fattening shoots;
do not get carried away with applying excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, which provoke the formation of young foliage;
clean the trunk from old bark and whitewash the trunks.

In addition to treating cherries against pests using insecticides, catching belts are effective in the fight against aphids, as well as treating the plantings with an ash-soap solution and an infusion of mustard powder.

Where do black aphids come from on cherries?

The spread of aphids on cherry trees is observed in spring and summer. Hot weather has a beneficial effect on the reproduction of small insects. Typically, aphids settle under the leaves, along the veins where the sap flows. The body of the aphid is soft and ovoid in shape.

On cherry trees, wingless black individuals are more common. But soon the females grow wings. Flying insects travel freely, parasitizing young shoots.

Reasons for the appearance of black aphids on cherries:

Plants on which this type of insect reproduces (for example, garden cornflower, legumes, etc.);
Favorable weather conditions;
Untimely thinning of tree branches;
The appearance of garden ants that spread aphids to the tree.

Insects multiply quickly, so control of them should begin at the first appearance of individual individuals. How to notice that aphids are eating cherries?

Firstly, small black pests on a green leaf are visible to the naked eye.
Secondly, young leaves begin to curl and turn yellow, buds and flowers become deformed, and fruits lose their juiciness.
Thirdly, as a result of the sugary secretions of aphids, a viral sooty fungus settles on the cherry and the leaf blades turn black.

An attentive gardener will notice that anthills form around the cherry plantations. Ants tickle aphids to release a sweet liquid that they feed on.

Such “friendship” can destroy the cherry harvest and the green part of the tree. We have to urgently look for a remedy for aphids on cherries in order to save the crop and green spaces.

cherry fly

Seemingly harmless flies can cause no less harm. The cherry fly, for example, is a dangerous pest of cherries, due to which you can lose almost the entire harvest. The larvae laid by insects feed on the fruits and spoil them. When the cherry falls to the ground, the grown insect goes to the surface layer of soil for the winter.

Miner flies are no less dangerous. Cherry pests are detected by the passages in the leaves. Winding tunnels inside the leaf blades indicate that the eggs laid have turned into larvae, ready to emerge and become a new generation of adult insects by spring. In case of mass infection, the leaves suffer so much that the tree cannot properly prepare for winter, as a result it freezes, gets sick, and produces a smaller harvest.

Life cycle of a sawfly

False caterpillar of the slimy sawfly
False caterpillars overwinter in the soil, at a depth of 10–15 cm, in earthen cradles. The emerging females immediately begin laying eggs, placing them in cuts made by the ovipositor on the back of the leaves.

The egg-laying sites (characteristic brown swellings) are clearly visible from the top of the leaf. There can be up to 40 eggs on one leaf.

Hawthorn butterfly, goldentail and other cherry pests

Since early spring, not only bees, but also various types of butterflies have been circling over the cherry orchard. Not all of them hunt for nectar. Cabbage-like hawthorn, lacewing, and cherry moth are prominent representatives of cherry pests.

Caterpillars of these species actively eat buds and foliage, so it is important to recognize the enemy as early as possible and begin to fight it. At the caterpillar stage, insects are collected by hand or sprayed with chemicals. The gardener decides how to treat cherries against pests. But when choosing an insecticide, it is important that the chemical provides long-term protection and does not harm the crop.

Since during the season many butterflies manage to give birth to two or three generations, treatment is carried out not only in early spring, after the appearance of foliage, but also at the end of summer.

Causes and symptoms of tree infection

There are many reasons why harmful insects appear on cherry trees. The only way to prevent pests is to constantly inspect your trees and take action as soon as necessary.

Symptoms of cherry infection:

Reduced yield.
Massive fall of leaves in summer and early autumn.
Fruit drop.
The appearance of yellow spots and “movements” on the leaves.

Reasons for the appearance of insects on cherry trees:

Insects multiply much faster if cherry trees grow next to cherries or because of their proximity to plum trees.
Lack of seasonal preventative pruning of the crown.
A large number of weeds on the site.
The presence of a large number of ladybugs, ants, wasps and flies in the garden (these insects contribute to the appearance of aphids because they feed on the sweet juice that aphids secrete).
Lack of autumn preparation for winter.

Most of the reasons why parasites appear on cherry trees are due to lack of garden care. Therefore, the main method of preventing the appearance of insects on cherries is sanitary pruning and preparing the garden for the onset of cold weather.

Cherry pest control and preventative measures

No matter how fast-acting and effective modern means of insect control are, treating cherries against pests will not give the desired result if there is no competent prevention.

Throughout the season, fallen leaves are regularly collected and destroyed. The same is done with mummified, unripe fruits.

Cherry pest control, as in the photo, should involve irrigating the plants with chemicals. But this is far from the main stage. The main work is carried out in the fall and includes:

pruning diseased, dry and damaged branches;
sections, as well as cracks in the bark and damaged areas with gum formation are treated with garden varnish;
fallen leaves, branches and remaining fruits are carefully picked and burned;
the soil under the trees is loosened and carefully dug up;
with the onset of the first cold weather, the garden is sprayed with a 5% urea solution.

In the spring, the condition of the trees is checked again and comprehensive treatment is carried out against insects and diseases of fruit crops. Most often, systemic means that are effective against a whole range of hazards are used for this purpose. It is important to irrigate not only the trees themselves, but also the soil underneath them. Repeated spraying is necessary after flowering. Another treatment can be done in the summer.

The appearance of aphids: causes and prevention

During evolution, aphids have adapted to changes in plant life and climate change. Colonies can be different in species composition and flexible to external stress. Aphids are dioecious insects. To complete the seasonal reproduction cycle, it requires the presence of a nearby weed plant - bedstraw. Clean the area around the tree and the garden in general from parasitic plants.

There are other preventative methods:

Regularly wash off or otherwise mechanically remove sticky honeydew from the leaves. Firstly, it is a bait for ants, and secondly, it is a breeding ground for sooty fungus.
Keep ants away from the tree. For this purpose, hunting belts and sticky traps on the trunk, sprinkling ant clutches with eggs with boiling water, and destroying anthills on the site are suitable.

Also fight ants
Free the tree from old, peeling bark, whitewash the trunks in the fall or spring, before the buds swell.
Remove young growth from the roots of the tree. Its soft and juicy tissue is an ideal habitat for aphids.
Help strengthen leaves. A tight leaf is more difficult to bite through, which means it will be less attractive to the pest. This is achieved by sprinkling the crown, regular watering, mulching, and balanced nutrition. But you can’t overdo it with nitrogen fertilizing.
Plant garlic, onions, Dalmatian chamomile, and marigolds near the cherries - aphids do not like their smell. Conversely, place hollyhocks, cosmos and nasturtiums that attract this insect away.
Calendula will also have a beneficial effect on the health of the fruit tree next to it - it attracts ladybugs, which are enemies No. 1 for aphids. You can also increase the population of ladybugs in the garden mechanically - ask the children to collect them from the surrounding area.

Attention! Among garden crops, aphids love cherries and viburnum the most, so the farther they are from other fruit trees, the better.

Preparations for fighting parasites

To cope with harmful insects, it is very important to choose the right drugs to eliminate them.

Chemicals and insecticides

In advanced cases, it is recommended to spray the plantings with chemicals or insecticides. The most effective substances include the following:

Karbofos - a solution with a concentration of 10% is usually used;
Benzophosphate - use 10% liquid;
Antilin - to prepare the product for 5 liters of water, you should take 25 grams of the drug.

Biological agents

At the initial stage of damage to a tree by harmful insects, it can be sprayed with biological preparations. They are less harmful than chemicals.

To eliminate the sawfly, you can treat the cherries with such agents as Agravertine and Bitoxibacillin. If aphids have settled on the tree, Fitoverm will do. Lepidocid is often used for preventive purposes.

Traditional methods

In addition to chemical treatment, you can use effective folk recipes. A chamomile solution is suitable for eliminating weevils. To do this, 150 grams of raw material should be mixed with 15 liters of warm water and left to infuse for a day. Strain the prepared solution and mix with 50 grams of laundry soap.

To eliminate larvae and caterpillars, it is recommended to use the following recipes:

Tomato decoction. This product helps to successfully eliminate caterpillars. To make it, you need to take 3-4 kilograms of tomato stems and leaves, add a bucket of water and cook for half an hour. Cool and strain. Mix the product with water in a ratio of 1:3. Add laundry soap to the composition. Process cherries periodically.
Burdock decoction. Mix water with plant leaves in a 2:1 ratio. Leave to infuse for 3 days.
Potato infusion. This product helps control caterpillars and aphids. To prepare it, mix 1 kilogram of potato tops with 10 liters of water and leave for 5 hours. Add 50 grams of laundry soap to the product.

To minimize the risk of the spread of larvae and caterpillars, you need to apply insecticides and traditional recipes in a timely manner. To eliminate pests, it is worth digging the soil deeply every autumn.

Mechanical way of fighting

This method involves the direct destruction of eggs, larvae and adult insects. To do this, pests can be removed from branches and leaves, winter masonry and spider nests destroyed, and hunting belts used. Light traps and pheromone baits are also actively used.