Measures to combat tartar on the pear and methods of treating the disease
Often there is a copperhead on the pear, so you should know the measures to combat the pest. It will be possible to recognize the appearance of an insect according to certain signs. It feeds on plant sap, as a result, it dries up and dies. In the fight against copperhead, folk recipes, as well as biological and chemical preparations, are used. Preventive measures will help prevent a second attack by the pest.
Description of the pest
The honeydew, or the pear lily is a small insect that can jump and fly well. It appears immediately after the snow melts. The insect has developed wings. In the winter cold, it hides under the bark of a tree and fallen leaves.
- In summer, the body of an adult sucker (imago) is colored red-orange or green-brown with longitudinal light stripes on the abdomen.
- Transparent wings with dark orange veins fold down along the body. Closer to winter, the body becomes black.
- The head is triangular. It has two large and three small eyes, and also has a proboscis, with the help of which the insect draws in juice from the green part of the plant.
- The length of an adult insect is up to 2.8 mm.
- The insect quickly jumps or flies from one tree to another.
- Each female is capable of laying 450 to 1100 eggs. The eggs are oval in shape with a length of 0.4 mm. At first they are white, then they turn orange.
The larva goes through several stages in its development. The larva of the last phase of development (nymph) is a great harm to fruit trees.
Insects suck the juices from the plant and contribute to the development of fungal disease. Therefore, it is so important to identify the problem in time and start the fight with proven and effective drugs.
Development cycle
For wintering, adults (their bodies are dark in color) go into cracks under the bark or under fallen leaves. As soon as the air temperature after winter settles at around -1-2 degrees (approximately the last days of March), insects begin their active life.
When the air warms up to +5 degrees, the copperheads begin to mate. Males die immediately after mating, while females live up to 46 days. The first clutch of eggs at the base of the buds occurs at a temperature of +10 degrees.
The warmer the air, the faster the larva goes through all stages of its development. At a temperature of +10 degrees, nymphs begin to appear after three weeks, and at a temperature of +23 degrees - after a week.
Stages of development of the larva:
- The first phase is different in that the insect has a body up to 0.56 mm long, dark orange in color with dark stripes on the back.
- The body size reaches 0.73 mm, the color lightens.
- The insect grows up to 1 mm, the body becomes light gray.
- The nymph grows to 1.37 mm, the body color is greenish-yellow, the outlines of the wings become noticeable.
- Similarities with adults appear. The size increases to 2 mm, the body color becomes brownish-greenish.
Why an insect is dangerous
Reproduction of sucker most often occurs only on young, well-fruiting pears. Nymphs suck sap from leaves, buds, pedicels, and fruits. The excess of the drunk juice is allocated in the form of a sticky composition.
The affected areas are infected with fungal diseases, the immunity of the tree, buds decreases, the leaves dry up and fall off. The fruits that have had time to form grow small in size, have a deformed shape and a bitter taste.
Causes of occurrence
There are several unfavorable factors that contribute to the appearance of suckers on fruit trees:
- humid, warm weather promotes reproduction;
- pear varieties with late fruit ripening are most damaged;
- a dense crown and thick, wrinkled bark on the trunk and branches provokes the appearance of pests;
- the presence of a large amount of weed around trees;
- lack of cropping;
- poor preparation of pears for winter.
Compliance with the rules of care and preventive treatment of all fruit trees in the garden with special compounds will help to reduce the risk of the appearance of the louse.
Signs of defeat
It is not difficult to recognize the appearance of a pear sap:
- young leaves, ovaries and buds perish;
- a sticky, dirty gray coating appears on greens;
- the edges of the leaves turn black, begin to dry out, curl;
- flower buds, leaves, fruits fall prematurely;
- the fruits are bloom, small in size and deformed.
Methods of dealing with sucker
The difficulty in dealing with the beetle is that it begins to lay eggs early and quickly jumps from one plant to another. Chemical preparations are effective, but the treatment is quite successfully carried out with folk compositions.
Application of insecticides
It is easy to check if there is a leaf flap on the tree. When the air temperature outside reaches +4 degrees, you need to lay a white linen under the pear and lightly knock on the branches. If pests are present, they can be easily spotted on a light-colored blanket:
- Before bud break, trees are treated with such preparations as "30 Plus", "Commander", "Prophylactin", "Inta-vir".
- After the end of the flowering period, spraying is carried out with preparations such as Iskra or Agravertin.
- During the growing season, it is recommended to carry out treatment with solutions based on such agents as "Fufanon", "Aktara", "Iskra M".
Spraying trees should be done in the evening. The weather should be dry and calm. It is especially effective to carry out processing after rain, when part of the sticky base is washed off with water.
When diluting the solution, it is imperative to observe the recommended proportions, which are indicated on the packaging of the selected product.
Biological agents
Biological products are toxic to insects, but they are not dangerous for humans and animals. The most popular drugs include: "Lepidocide", "Bitoxibacillin", "Fitoverm".
In the fight against pests, beneficial insects such as a ladybug or lacewing will help.
The best helpers in the fight against sucker are the predatory bugs Anthocoris nemoralis. They are sold in specialized stores for 200 pieces. Bedbugs and suckers appear at the same time after winter.
Alternative treatment
Folk compositions are effective only at the early stage of the appearance of insects, when their number is not large and the damage is insignificant:
- After the end of the flowering period, pear tobacco fumigation is carried out. Small heaps of damp straw mixed with tobacco dust are laid out in the garden and set on fire. The smoke begins to poison the pests, and they fall to the ground.
- They use decoctions and infusions of dandelions, yarrow. Ash or soap solution is effective.
Preventive actions
To prevent the spread of the lice, you should follow the rules of prevention:
- it is necessary to carry out preventive work in the autumn and spring;
- in the fall, it is imperative to remove the territory from vegetation, fallen leaves, branches;
- the near-trunk zone should be dug up every autumn;
- mineral fertilizing will help to increase the plant's immunity;
- the tree trunk is whitewashed;
- remove old, damaged bark and branches;
- it is recommended to attract beneficial insects to fruit trees: lacewings, ground beetles, ladybugs, spiders.
Providing fruit trees with proper care can reduce the risk of pests and other problems.
