Gardeners and gardeners have to work hard to protect their crops from pests and get a good harvest. In early spring, aphids begin to attack young shoots. There are no barriers or boundaries for her. With equal zeal it will reproduce on garden weeds, roses, cabbage, apple trees and currants. It usually settles on the underside of leaves and also clings to tender young shoots. Today we will talk about fighting this pest using a simple and affordable remedy.
What is an aphid?
This is a small sucking insect up to 22 mm in size. They come in green, red or black. Leaf and shoot aphids are always found in colonies, which is their main danger to plants. A few tiny creatures will not be able to cause significant harm. But hundreds and thousands of aphids suck the juices from fresh shoots, drying and destroying them. In addition, with its secretions it covers the stomata of the leaf, preventing it from breathing. Gardeners often use a soap solution against aphids, noting that this is a safe and effective way to control the pest.
First aid for poisoning
In diluted form, the product is not dangerous to humans, but, like any other chemical, in individual cases it can cause harm.
Recommendations for mitigating the effects of damage:
- In case of contact with skin, rinse with cold water. If a red spot or itching appears, apply a bandage of gauze soaked in a 5% solution of acetic acid. 10 minutes is enough. Then rinse again with cold water.
- If the mucous membrane of the eyes is affected, rinse well with running water for 15-20 minutes, or until the burning sensation goes away. Then rinse with a 2% boric acid solution and drip albucid. If discomfort does not go away, seek medical help from specialists.
- If you accidentally swallow Green Soap, drink 3 glasses of water, provoke a gag reflex, take 4-6 tablets of activated charcoal and consult a doctor.
Carrier of infections
Few people know that aphids are such a dangerous insect. It is the main carrier of various viral infections that cause gall formations on leaves. These are hard growths on the leaves that weaken the entire plant, which can lead to its death. In addition, garden ants are very fond of aphids. They breed it themselves and transfer it to the trees after winter from their burrows. Therefore, you have to fight the ants at the same time. A soap solution against aphids is best suited for this.
How to identify a lesion
If you regularly inspect your plantings, you will not be able to miss the changes happening to them. The leaves and tops are bent, the shoots do not grow, which means you need to look for the cause. Aphids pose the greatest danger to young and immature plants. But even large trees have a hard time. The insect is very prolific, it reproduces quickly and massively. Every two weeks a new generation is born. The female lays 150-200 larvae at a time. Therefore, the population is growing at a fantastic rate, and the fight against it involves enormous efforts.
So, be sure to pay attention to the following signs:
- If the underside of the leaves has changed color, it is covered with honeydew.
- White scales on the ground, near the plant. These are the shells that the insect sheds. With a large population, it is almost impossible not to notice them.
- Ants love aphids very much. If they start scurrying around the plant, then you need to prepare for a fight. It is now that a soap solution against aphids can help best.
- Leaves curl and turn yellow. Be sure to inspect them for pests.
- Undeveloped and twisted buds are also direct evidence of insect activity.
Instructions for use
Efficiency of soap solution The fight against aphids is carried out by spraying.
Small bushes of plants are watered from a watering can. For spraying, use a garden sprayer and bottles with a nozzle. During treatment, you should try to ensure that the stream hits the lower part of the plant, since this is where the pests are concentrated. Otherwise, the solution will flow to the ground without getting on the aphids.
The frequency of application depends on the degree of damage to the garden plot. The activity begins at the first signs of crop damage and is repeated every week for prevention. Destruction is carried out in several procedures with a break of 2-3 days.
Prevention
The sooner you start fighting pests, the more effective it will be. It is best to treat the tree in a timely manner in April, when the foliage is just beginning to bloom. At this time, a soap solution against aphids helps the best. It allows you to protect the tree from crawling along the trunks of ants, which are carriers of aphids. Therefore, by processing in advance, you will protect not only your harvest, but also the health of the tree itself.
Thus, the trunk and branches will need to be treated for the first time in April, when the leaves are just beginning to bloom. Of course, aphids are dangerous not only for fruit trees, but at this time of year there are still no cucumbers and cabbage in the beds that you can profit from. Additional protection in the month of April are special collars that help prevent ants from moving along the trunk. This is additional protection in case the soap and water dries out and loses its effect.
Green soap
On many country websites and forums you can find a lot of information about green soap. It is used not only to protect cultivated plants from pests, but also to prevent many diseases.
For a standard 10 liter bucket of water, take 250 g of green soap. Add an additional 20 g of mustard powder to the resulting mixture. You can also add a little copper sulfate.
Plants can be treated with the resulting composition no more than 3 times during the summer season.
Folk methods of struggle
If you decide to stop using chemicals in your garden, then get ready to spend a lot more time on it. For example, a systemic insecticide allows you to completely get rid of pests with guaranteed protection for 2-3 months. That is, one treatment can provide an entire summer without insects. But folk remedies do not destroy insects and their larvae; they only have a repellent effect. Therefore, they must be used at least three times in a row, with an interval of no more than 5-7 days. Further as necessary, but be prepared for the fact that you will have to return to processing more than once during the season.
Mealybug
It is a sucking insect covered with a white waxy coating. It got its name because of the characteristic white discharge, similar to cotton wool. The size of the insect, depending on the variety, varies from 0.5 to 12 mm. The mealybug has well-developed sexual dimorphism.
Males have wings and well-developed limbs, and tail processes are visible on the abdomen. Due to the fact that adult males do not feed, they do not have a mouth.
The females of most species lay eggs, but some species are viviparous. The eggs are placed in white cocoons made of wax threads. The fertility of the mealybug is very high - some females are capable of producing up to 4 generations per year.
The first instar larvae are able to actively move around the plant, but after sucking on, they lose mobility. The ability to move is restored after molting.
Scale insects harm the plant by sucking its juices. Because of this, the growth of the plant stops, and then its death occurs.
Signs of defeat
The presence of a mealybug is easily recognized by the presence of a waxy, cottony coating on the plant. Another sign may be a special sugary discharge and a fungus settling on it.
Control measures
In case of a mild form of infection, it is enough to clean the plant from insects and their waxy secretions using a soft brush and soap solution. Then the flower is sprayed with garlic infusion, green soap solution or cyclamen decoction. The spraying procedure must be carried out 3 times every 7 days. A good effect can be obtained by treating the plant with alcohol tincture of calendula or regular alcohol.
If the damage is quite serious, then in addition to mechanical impact on the pest, that is, manual collection, the plant will need to be sprayed with solutions of the following chemicals: Aktara, Fitoverm, Calypso, Confidor, Tanrek.
Hygiene on guard
The most famous remedy is a soap solution to combat aphids. How does such a familiar and accessible remedy help get rid of a pest? The fact is that treatment with a soap solution helps create a special film on the entire surface of the plant. From this time on, the plant becomes inedible for aphids. Of course, any rain and watering will destroy this coating, and the work will have to start all over again. But soap does not harm the plant at all and does not in any way affect the formation of fruits. You receive organic fruits and vegetables.
Adviсe
Several recommendations from distinguished gardeners regarding the destruction of aphids and ants using laundry soap.
If the aphid has not seriously affected the plant, then instead of spraying it is recommended to wipe the branches and leaves with the resulting soap solution. It is clear that only low bushes can be wiped, and trees will have to be sprayed in any case.
Do not spray with soap solutions during rain or on the eve of it. Drops of water will wash away the entire solution from the leaves, and it will not have time to have the desired effect on pests. In hot weather, the procedure cannot be carried out during the day under the sun. The sun's rays hitting drops of moisture can leave severe burns on the foliage. Subsequently, the tree may even get sick after such treatment.
It is also worth learning more about the use of celandine against aphids on trees.
When carrying out the procedure, it is necessary to pay attention to the back side of the leaves. The fact is that it is in such secluded places that aphids prefer to live. Without processing the entire part of the sheet, there will be no result from the procedure.
So, we looked at the features of using laundry soap to kill aphids and ants on the site. As you can see, this simple home remedy can very well become an assistant in the difficult fight against pests. Use soap in the early stages of aphid infestation, as once there are more insects, the product will no longer be as effective.
Difficult choice
Now let's talk in more detail about how to prepare a soap solution for aphids. Most often it is recommended to use it, citing its high alkali content. In fact, this fact is not leading, since any soap can disrupt the nutrition of an insect and thereby lead to its death or migration.
If you do not plan to add anything else to the solution, then you should pay more attention to the type of soap you use. Pay attention to varieties that have a pronounced disinfectant and antibacterial effect.
- Ordinary, household. The cheapest option. If it comes into contact with insects, it can cause their death.
- Degtyarnoe. A soap-ash solution for aphids, supplemented with birch tar, is a potent remedy for eliminating garden pests.
- Green soap. It is sold in specialized country stores. This gel-like substance is essentially an insecticide.
