If aphids attack cucumbers, you need to get rid of it urgently. From the material in this article, you will learn how to do this using different types of tools.
Description and types of pests
Aphids on cucumbers can be very diverse. Colonies of parasitic insects multiply at a high rate. In the world there are more than 4 thousand species.
Cucumbers are affected by melon or cotton aphids. Its color is greenish, yellowish, brown and dark green. The parasites feed on the juices of the leaves. They are wingless and winged.
No less dangerous for cucumbers are white, potato and black aphids. Black is omnivorous, and therefore rapidly destroys young cultures. Potato is typical for greenhouse and greenhouse cucumbers.
Small bugs with a body length of 2-4 mm quickly adapt to any weather conditions. Having emerged from eggs, insects give birth more than 10-20 times during the summer, laying 50 eggs in each clutch.
The shape of the body of the pest varies, based on the variety. It is ovoid, elliptical, oval, drop-shaped. The body is soft, not having a chitinous cover. The color is usually translucent.
Aphids have a sucking type of mouth apparatus with an existing trunk. At its expense, the pest pierces the plant, extracting nutritious juice. Due to the sufficient length of the legs, in addition to crawling, insects are able to move by jumping.
They carry phytopathogenic viruses. When they attack a crop, in addition to getting rid of pests, it is often necessary to cope with plant diseases.
The development time of a larva to an adult insect is 10 days. If you start a problem, the plant may die. As soon as aphids appear, you need to take emergency measures.
This can be done at different times of the pest’s life cycle. This is effective during the migration of females, the appearance of the first larvae. At this time, the insect is more vulnerable, the probability of causing maximum damage to it is high.
Signs of defeat
The cucumber aphid lays its eggs on the underside of the leaves and feeds on the amino acids and carbohydrates contained in the sap of the shoots. It is far from always possible to detect a plant disease in the early stages, so a newly affected plant looks almost healthy. The first colonies settle on the lower leaves. As they grow, they rise up, choosing juicy and tasty young shoots. As a result, the foliage on the seedlings begins to shrink and turn yellow.
If the first larvae go unnoticed, the cucumbers are deformed. The upper leaves begin to curl inward. When you try to deploy them on the reverse side, you can see colonies of parasites.
If the plant is attacked by aphids, the growth of new shoots stops. In diseased areas, shortening of the internodes is observed. Due to pest control, the formation of new ovaries is blocked.
Along with this, summer residents are faced with the fact that the surface of the leaves becomes unpleasantly sticky. This pad is a waste product of aphids that attracts ants.
Their appearance in large numbers is another sign of damage to a vegetable crop. Due to sticky plaque, the process of photosynthesis is disrupted, a bacterial infection develops.
Sticky drops appear, the shape of the leaf plates changes, and the stems are completely depleted. If you do not react to the problem in any way, the ovaries fall off and the pierced aphids of the leaves completely wither.
Ants, feeding on the secretions of pests, spread aphid larvae, moving from shoots to shoots. This is how the entire cucumber plantation becomes infected. Aphids adapt well to any weather conditions.
What can be processed?
There are many effective ways to deal with harmful insects.
Chemicals
Modern insecticides help to remove aphids from cucumbers in the garden and greenhouse. Due to toxicity, they have to be used at the stage, while the plant has not yet formed flowers and ovaries.
If the degree of damage to the culture is extensive, it is allowed to use individual funds during the growing season. Extreme care must be taken during processing.
You can get rid of hated parasites using drugs:
- Carbophos;
- “Tanrek”;
- “Aktara”;
- Iskra Bio.
All of them have a wide range of effects on harmful insects. It is strictly forbidden to use funds during fruiting. Cucumbers treated with chemicals are unfit for food for about 1 month. The products themselves are toxic to bees. Therefore, they cannot be used during flowering.
Pesticides have different strengths. For greenhouses, varieties with a mild effect are acquired. For spraying plantings in open ground buy universal means.
Biopreparations
It is possible to destroy aphid colonies by means of special means of a biological type. These include:
- “Fitoverm”;
- “Aktofit”;
- “Entobakterin”;
- Biotlin.
They are characterized by a slow action principle. It is assumed that a pest enters the body, which leads to instant death. After about 5-6 days, the entire colony dies.
Cucumbers themselves can be eaten a week after spraying. The effectiveness of one or another means is related to the ambient temperature.
“Aktofit” is in powder form. It is used as an immunomodulator a few days after the chemical treatment of cucumbers.
“Fitoverm” used in the fight against insects at any stage of plant damage, including the time of fruiting. It paralyzes the nervous system of aphids, as well as the intestinal one, without causing addiction.
However, at least two sprays are required for complete destruction. It does not accumulate in fruits and leaves; when it enters the soil, it completely decomposes. Biological preparations used for dressing do not affect the timing of harvest.
Overview of folk remedies
Folk methods of getting rid of aphids are varied. They are effective if the ratio of the components of the preparation and the interval between sprayings are observed during processing.. They are easy to make at home.
Garlic
You can poison annoying insects with garlic infusion. To prepare it, take half a kilogram of garlic and 3 liters of water. The mixture is infused for 5 days, after which it is diluted with water at the rate of 10 liters of water per 0,06 kg.
Not only lashes are treated with the resulting composition: they can water the soil around the planting.
Pepper
To save cucumbers from aphid attacks, you can use hot peppers. The tincture is made on a water basis, for which crushed pepper, tobacco dust, 5 liters of water are used.
Before use, the mixture is infused for a day. Then the solution is thoroughly mixed and spraying is started. Do this twice with an interval of 7 days.
Plant
An effective tool in the fight against aphid invasion is potato or tomato tops.. To prepare an insecticidal decoction, fresh shoots are taken. Any healthy areas of plants are also suitable for this.
About 4 kg of shoots are used for processing, crushing them and insisting in a bucket of water for about 4 hours. After that, the composition is boiled over low heat for half an hour.
It is necessary to dilute the product with water, based on the calculation of 1: 4. The composition is perfectly stored in a glass hermetically sealed container for about one year.
Vinegar
No less popular among gardeners as a remedy for aphid invasion is ordinary table vinegar. It is a worthy alternative to chemicals, helping to save juicy cucumber lashes from voluminous lesions.
One tablespoon requires a liter of water. They can process the leaves during flowering. For prevention, the remedy is used no more than 1 time in 3-4 weeks. If the lesion is massive, cucumbers are sprayed 2 times a week.
Milk with iodine
The milk-iodine composition, when it gets on the leaves and shoots of cucumber lashes, creates a thin film. Together with the antiparasitic quality, it is an antiseptic.
To prepare the product, use 1 ml of iodine solution, 1 liter of store milk and 10 liters of water. Before pouring the liquid into the sprayer, it is stirred until smooth. Processing is carried out in cloudy calm weather.
Soap and Ash
To remove hated parasites from the leaves, a strong infusion of vegetable ash is prepared. To prepare it, take about 250 g of sifted ash, placing it in a separate container and pouring it with hot water.
The mass is insisted for a couple of days, stirring from time to time. Then it is filtered. Take 40 g of grated soap (household or tar soap is suitable), soak in hot water (0.5 cups).
The components are mixed, poured into a sprayer and proceed to the processing of cucumber lashes. It is necessary to carefully sprinkle the inner parts of the leaves and all the places on which the aphid sits.
Depending on the intensity of the attack of the plant by parasites, the procedure is repeated a couple of times. This insecticide helps not only kill insects, but also feed the plant with useful substances and trace elements.
Soda
Baking soda is one of the best ways to get rid of aphids. The mixture is prepared from two to three tablespoons of powder, a bucket of water, a couple of tables. tablespoons of oil, several tables. spoons of liquid laundry soap.
Herbal infusions
Effective means against the invasion of aphids are infusions of fresh herbs that repel insects. For example, you can use celandine, chamomile, tobacco, bitter wormwood.
Grass is poured with warm water or boiling water. Insist from several hours to two days. Then diluted with water and sprayed with whips from all sides. often include liquid soap in the composition.
A solution of onion peel copes well with aphids. It is prepared from 100 g of husk and a bucket of water, soaked overnight. Before use, the liquid is filtered, supplemented with a few drops of potassium permanganate, then the whips are irrigated.
Others
There are other tools to help solve the problem.
- 10% ammonia is an effective pest control. To do this, use ammonia – 50 ml, 10 liters of water, 2-3 tables. tablespoons of vegetable oil, 5 table. spoons of liquid green or laundry soap. The ingredients are mixed, dissolved in settled warm water. Cucumber lashes are irrigated with this composition, forming a thin oily film. It not only hinders the movement of parasites, but also does not allow them to breathe. The main part of the colony dies after a couple of days. This treatment can be alternated with soap-ash infusion.
The interval between procedures is up to 4 days. This is one of the most effective ways to kill aphids.
- You can spray cucumber lashes with a mustard-based composition. For 0,1 kg of mustard, you will need 3 liters of boiling water, a few tablespoons of liquid laundry soap, a couple of tables. spoons of oil, 7 liters of water. First, the powder is poured with boiling water and the mixture is allowed to brew for 6 hours. Then it is mixed again, poured into a sprayer. Before doing antiparasitic treatment, soap, oil, water are also added there. Then the composition is sprayed onto the whip.
- The composition based on birch tar is also popular. The action of the concentrate is similar to a biological preparation. Its smell is unpleasant for pests, it forces them to leave their homes. To prepare a working solution, take 0,05 liters of concentrate, mix with a small bar of soap and water. Leave for a couple of hours, then mix well and proceed to the processing of the lashes.
- Coniferous concentrate is also used to get rid of parasites. It is purchased at pharmacies or specialized stores for gardeners and gardeners. For a solution of 10 liters of water, 1 table is required. a spoonful of the drug.
- Among other means used by summer residents, yarrow, celandine and horse sorrel can be distinguished. Depending on what grows on the site, they take a plant and make a water-based infusion. Also, these herbs can be added to a solution of potato or tomato tops. Sometimes several herbs are included in the recipe. In this case, use 1 kg of yarrow tops, 3 kg of celandine, 0,3 kg of horse sorrel.
How to attract natural enemies?
The natural enemies of aphids are various insects, plants and birds. Most pests are afraid of ladybugs, hoverflies and sand wasps. They also do not like the neighborhood with lacewing larvae.
To permanently get rid of parasites, you need to plant plants throughout the site and near the cucumber beds that exude a pungent odor. In such cases, it is recommended to plant parsley, dill, coriander, and mustard leaf nearby.
Marigolds, cumin, daisies, oregano are planted not far from the cucumbers. You can plant thyme or lavender nearby. The paths between the beds should be sprinkled with sawdust.
Basil can also be used to attract natural enemies of aphids. In addition to the fact that all pungent-smelling plants attract other insects, they repel pests. Thus, the problem is eliminated and the issue of its prevention is solved.
A container with sawdust is placed near the affected plants so that predatory insects can attack pests.
Someone to solve the problem attracts aphids to places of accumulation of aphids. For this, feeders and drinkers are placed near the cucumber beds.
Processing Tips
Spraying cucumber seedlings or plants planted in open ground with a chemical is carried out in strict accordance with the instructions attached to the specific type of substance.
It is impossible to completely get rid of insects by collecting them. This method is ineffective and is rarely used when the aphid has just begun its resettlement.
Along with aphids, get rid of ants. The anthills based at the bottom of the trunks are doused with boiling water, and then treated with the Anteater preparation. To drive them away, perform constant loosening of the soil.
It is necessary to destroy pests and treat plantings in a complex manner. You can alternate biological preparations with folk remedies, not forgetting about agrotechnical rules and the elimination of ant settlements.
However, the use of toxic substances during fruiting is undesirable. Insecticides are capable of accumulation in greens and fruits.
When using Inta-Vira, it is worth considering: it is effective against adult insects, but does not kill their larvae and eggs. To effectively get rid of aphids, it is necessary to carry out the treatment twice.
However, it changes the properties of the soil and is washed away during rain. Along with harmful insects, the drug destroys beneficial bacteria.
“Commander” spray seeds, seedlings, plants in open ground. It is also applied to the soil, diluted according to the instructions. Apply on a calm day (morning or evening).
During processing, use protective equipment (special clothing, respirator, gloves). During spraying, make sure that the drug gets on all shoots and leaves.
It is impossible to process cucumbers with several types of chemicals at once. Some agents neutralize each other. They can cause significant harm to the culture, making the fruits poisonous.
The ratio of the drug to water varies.
- When using Inta-Vira 1 tablet is dissolved in a bucket of water.
- Karbofos diluted at the rate of 10 ml per 1-2 ten-liter buckets of water.
- “Commander” must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 ml to 2 liters of water.
- “Actellic” diluted in a proportion of 3-15 ml per bucket of water.
Preventive measures
The best defense against harmful insects is prevention.. Insects like to settle in dry weeds that have not been removed from last season. As soon as the earth warms up, the parasites leave their homes in search of food. During this period, they immediately lay their eggs on young stems and leaves.
It is possible to protect plantings from pest damage through timely weeding. You can treat plants in a greenhouse by disinfecting using sulfur checkers.
Someone prefers to install mosquito nets in greenhouses. Other preventive measures include the use of special covering materials that protect cucumbers planted in open ground.
In order not to encounter aphids in the early stages of seedling development, before planting, the seeds are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
In order to prevent damage, you can treat the soil with copper sulfate.
To prevent addiction to treatments, they try to alternate the means used.
An effective preventive measure is the timely application of mineral and organic fertilizers.
Improving ventilation in the greenhouse is a preventive measure to prevent harmful insects.
Frequent inspection of plants for parasites should not be ignored.. This will allow you to identify the problem at an early stage of its occurrence.
If possible, you should initially buy cucumber seeds with good immunity in stores. Preparations for timely processing should always be at hand.
