What to do if someone gnaws carrots in the ground and how to deal with them

A rich harvest of juicy and even carrots is the desire of every gardener. But it happens that someone starts to eat it with great speed. These can be insect pests or small rodents. In the article, we will talk about who gnaws carrots in the ground and from above and how to deal with them.

Who eats carrots in the garden

In addition to the vole mouse, which leaves holes in the ground and gnaws large cavities in the roots, various insects can harm carrots: carrot fly larvae, naked slugs, wireworm, bear, winter scoop, etc.

If you find any damage to the carrots, you need to immediately take measures to eliminate the pest, otherwise there is a risk of being left without a crop. Consider who eats carrots on and under the ground.

In the ground

Under the ground, such pests are dangerous for root crops:

• carrot fly - the second generation of larvae gnaws at roots and tops, especially active from mid-July to late August;
• root-knot nematode - fertile roundworms, it is almost impossible to completely destroy on the site;
• field mice - rodents make an underground passage to the garden bed and completely destroy the crop in 1-2 weeks;
• bear - large insects 3-5 cm in length, adults and larvae gnaw through roots and stems;
• mole rat - the rodent digs deep holes, immediately eats the tops, and stores the roots for the winter;
• wireworm - damages root crops, feeds on carrot juices, makes it vulnerable to disease.

In the garden from above

From above the garden bed, carrots are actively eaten by pests:

• carrot flap - small insects sucking juice from leaf stalks;
• winter scoop - caterpillars gnaw at the base of the leaves, which leads to the death of plants;
• garden moth - the larvae feed on carrot tops, destroying plants.

How to deal with them

If you choose the right means of control, then the carrot crop can be protected. We recommend using a set of measures: agrotechnical methods, folk methods, chemicals.

Traps

Summer residents are faced with a problem when vole mice and mole rats make moves in the ground and destroy crops. To get rid of them, you can purchase a ready-made rodent trap in the store or make one yourself.

To do this, take a three-liter jar (for a mole rat, choose a larger container), grease the inner walls abundantly with vegetable oil, put a piece of cheese or sausage and put it on the garden bed so that the neck looks slightly up. The rodent will want to taste the bait, will climb inside the can, but will not be able to get out back along the slippery walls of the container.

There is an inexpensive and effective glue trap. It is simple to use: just apply the glue to a small board and put it on the carrot garden. The vole, having come for the vegetables, will stick to it and will not be able to drag the board, which is heavy for it, so it will be possible to catch it.

Chemicals

To get rid of from mice and other rodents on the carrot bed, some gardeners use poisons - for example, "Fostoxin". These products are sold in the form of drops, powder and granules. Dry chemicals are laid out on the garden bed, and liquid chemicals are dissolved in water and irrigate the soil. But the use of poisons in the garden is not the best solution, as other animals may also suffer and will eat them by mistake.

To eliminate carrot flies use the chemicals "Ziper", "Sharpei", "Arrivo".

For destruction wireworm you can use ammonia-containing fertilizers: ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride. Liming of the soil also helps.

Nematodes are taken out means "Dekaris" - dissolve one tablet in 1 liter of water and water the plants several times.

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Folk remedies

Mice cannot stand the smell of ammonia, birch tar and smoke. To combat them, gardeners moisten small rags with ammonia or birch tar and lay them out on different parts of the garden. Or at night they put a small bucket of smoldering coal near a greenhouse or a bed with carrots: the mice smell the smoke and this will scare them away.

Interesting. Pets help to fight rodents on the site, and not only cats, but also dogs are excellent in this capacity.

When the beds are slightly affected by leaf beetles, you can use the following means:

• citrus peels;
• tobacco dust;
• coniferous branches.

It is enough to spread them between the beds - the smell will scare away the insect and the crop will be preserved.

The garden moth is destroyed with a decoction of tomato tops. This will require 3.5 kg of tops and 10 liters of boiling water. The greens are crushed, placed in an iron container, simmered over low heat for half an hour, a little laundry soap is added. Insist for 2-3 days, then process the planting.

You can fight with a bear:

• using kerosene;
• using washing powder;
• tincture of mustard, black pepper and alcohol.

Preventive measures are reduced to deep digging of the soil and loosening it between the rows.

They fight carrot fly like this: they take ash, slaked lime and tobacco dust in equal proportions, mix all the ingredients and scatter them in the aisles. At the same time, the soil is regularly loosened.

other methods

There are effective and safe for humans and pets electronic and ultrasonic scarers. You can buy them in specialized shops for gardeners. Such devices scare away vole mice and other small rodents that damage vegetables. However, they are not able to kill the animal: devices have an effect on the central nervous system.

To get rid of flies use a non-woven material that is used to cover the garden bed, after adding tobacco or treating the soil and plants with soapy water.

Gall nematode dangerous in that it is able to get used to various methods of struggle. Therefore, there is no one way to kill rootworm nematodes. The main methods of control include preventive measures: working with a clean tool, processing the soil with formalin.

Tips and tricks from experienced gardeners

Experienced gardeners share their recommendations on how to preserve the crop with minimal losses, what preventive measures to take.

Ivan, Lomonosov: “I have my own small garden plot and little grandchildren who like to dig in the ground. Their favorite treat is carrots. I grow only a proven variety. Once I encountered an invasion of voles that ruined my harvest. After reading reviews on the Internet about scarers, I decided to save money and make my own version. He drove a few pegs near the garden bed, pulled on the fishing line and hung empty cans on it. Mice are very shy and afraid of any noise. From the slightest breath of wind, the cans begin to knock against one another. This helped me to get rid of annoying voles, I managed to save the harvest. "

Sergey, Perm: “The problem with mice has affected my relatives and friends. I bought repellents, bought poisons, but the result was not as long as I would like. I ended up planting elderberries, mint, anise, and parsnips near the carrot garden. The mice are gone. They cannot stand the smell of these spices.Now I plant this greenery every year, and there are no problems with rodents. "

Ekaterina, Tver: “Before, my carrots were periodically attacked by a carrot fly, and the yield was significantly reduced. A neighbor advised me to treat the garden with tobacco and soapy water. I tried it - it really helped. Now I do this for prevention, I irrigate the beds with a solution as soon as the first shoots appear. I just scatter tobacco around the entire perimeter of the garden.

Conclusion

Growing carrots is not difficult, it does not require a lot of time and effort. And when insect pests or small rodents appear, it is enough to use folk remedies in time or set traps. In extreme cases, it is permissible to use chemicals with precautions.