How to get rid of dill caterpillars: the most effective pest control methods
The delicate greens of dill attract a variety of sucking insects and caterpillars. Adults are not dangerous for plants and provide aesthetic pleasure to those who like their colorful wings. Caterpillars are voracious and capable of completely destroying dill, if measures are not taken in time. How to get rid of pests using insecticides, biological products and folk remedies?
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Types of caterpillars on dill
Juicy dill greens are a real treat for caterpillars... Most often, larvae of swallowtail, umbrella or dill moth, aniseed sailfish butterfly are found on plantings.
Anise sailboat butterfly
it insect ubiquitous... Its distinguishing feature is blue specks in the tail. The wingspan is 10 cm. The color is yellow-black.
Caterpillars are green, large size... Each segment of the trunk is covered with yellow and black stripes. The pest feeds on delicate dill leaves.
Swallowtail
Swallowtail butterfly often found in dill plantings... It is difficult to confuse it with other species. The wings are yellow with a black pattern. There are areas of blue in the tail. Wing shades range from sandy to rich yellow. The color depends on the climatic conditions. In the northern regions, the color of the wings is pale, but the black pattern is more pronounced. In the southern regions, individuals of the swallowtail reach large sizes, the color of the wings is intense yellow, the black pattern is refined. The wingspan is 8-9 cm.
The swallowtail caterpillar is also called the green dill caterpillar... Larvae are large, each section is colored with black and orange specks located along the body.
In just 24 hours, the caterpillar is capable of destroying a dill bed. The photo above shows which butterfly emerges from the swallowtail caterpillar.
It can be useful:
Umbrella moth
Umbrella, or dill, moth - nondescript-looking butterfly with a wingspan of 1.4-1.8 cm... The forewings are dark brown, the anterior margin is reddish, the hindwings are gray.
Larvae appear on dill in the last decade of May... The body is a mustard-beige shade with brownish dots on each segment. They feed mainly on dill umbrellas, braiding them with a thin web.
Reference. Often, butterflies of the same species prefer one or more plants, so caterpillars of other species are rarely found on dill.
Signs of injury and harm done
The biological task of the caterpillar is a quick weight gain due to the nutrition of plant tissues.
Signs of defeat:
- eggs and caterpillars on greenery;
- leaf deformation, perforation;
- thin cobweb on umbrellas;
- sticky liquid.
Without timely treatment, you can stay without dill... Caterpillars have a huge appetite and are able to quickly destroy dill plantings.
Control methods
To destroy caterpillars on dill, use such methods:
- insecticide treatment;
- spraying with biological products;
- folk remedies;
- manual collection;
- attracting birds to the site.
Mechanical removal
Butterflies lay their eggs on the back of the dill leaves, so weekly planting inspection helps to remove the pest in a timely manner.
Pieces of burlap are used as bait... In hot weather, caterpillars crawl under the fabric, looking for shaded areas.It remains only to collect the pest and destroy.
Another effective way to get rid of larvae is installing a bucket of soapy water... The liquid is prepared by eye. Add shavings of soap to the water and mix. The dill twigs are vigorously shaken, the larvae fall into soapy water and die.
Manual collection - the easiest way to remove tracks. The swallowtail butterfly is listed in the Red Book, so they cannot be destroyed. It is enough just to transfer the larvae to fennel, hogweed, angelica, mustard plaster.
Council. When collecting caterpillars on site, do not confuse them with ladybug larvae. They look like small dark colored caterpillars with yellow spots and black protruding dots on them. The body has 6 legs.
Insecticides
Treating dill with insecticides is not a priority... Greens are eaten, and chemicals lead to poisoning of the body of varying severity.
Chemicals are used for large areas of contamination and the desire to preserve the harvest at all costs. The safest are "Deci", "Inta-vir", "S-30", "Iskra". Means have a paralytic effect, penetrating into the digestive tract of insects. Protection lasts from two weeks to two months, depending on the remedy. Manufacturers indicate the dosage and method of application on the package. It is important to strictly follow the recommendations and not exceed the permissible dose.
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Biological methods
When choosing a preparation for spraying, they are guided by the rule: substances should not accumulate in the green mass and be toxic to beneficial insects. The packaging indicates the periods during which the greens cannot be eaten after processing.
Biologicals are suitable for spraying dill "Lepidocid", "Biostop", "Fitoverm", "Bitoxybacillin", "Leptocid", "Aquarin", "Entobacterin", "Aktofit". They include the microbe Bacillus thuringiensis, which infects the intestinal tract of the pest, depriving it of the opportunity to eat and blocking the access to nutrients.
Biological methods include attracting birds that destroy caterpillars. For this, feeders and drinkers are hung on the site.
To prevent the spread of caterpillars, next to dill, plants are planted that attract ladybirds and wasps (fennel, marigolds, nasturtium, daisies, asters).
Folk remedies
Herbal infusions and decoctions act as deterrents... The list of the most effective:
- 400 g of tobacco shag is poured into 10 liters of boiling water and left for 24 hours. Then they mix in 25 ml of liquid soap and start spraying the plantings. Soap is added to the working solution for better adhesion to herbs.
- 1 kg of pharmacy chamomile is poured into 10 liters of boiling water. After 10-12 hours, add 30 g of soap shavings and dilute the concentrated infusion with water in a 1: 3 ratio.
- 1 kg of wormwood greens is poured into 3 liters of water and boiled for 30-40 minutes over low heat. After cooling, the volume is brought to 10 liters and dill is sprayed abundantly.
- 1 kg of yarrow is poured with 10 liters of hot water and insisted for 1 hour. Then it is diluted with water 1: 1 and left for 3-4 days. Before spraying, 50 g of soap shavings are mixed.
- 1 kg of tomato tops is poured into 10 liters of water and put on low heat for 1.5 hours. Then the liquid is filtered, diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5 and 50 g of soap shavings are mixed.
- A glass jar with a volume of 3 liters is 1/3 filled with onion peels and poured to the top with water. Insist 2-3 days, filter and add another 5 liters of water. Add 30 g of liquid soap to the liquid.
Preventive measures
Help prevent the appearance of caterpillars on dill preventive measures:
- regular inspection of landings;
- removal of affected inflorescences;
- weeding of weeds;
- top dressing with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers (add 30 g of potassium salt and superphosphate to the root);
- sowing dill in sunny, well-ventilated areas;
- thinning plantings;
- compliance with crop rotation;
- dill shelter with thin breathable agrofiber;
- planting plants that attract beneficial insects.
Conclusion
Caterpillars are often found on dill plantings. Juicy and tender greens attract specific species of butterflies - swallowtail, dill moth and aniseed sailfish. Their larvae destroy dill in a matter of days. Pest control is most often carried out with the help of herbal infusions and decoctions, biological products, traps. Less commonly, chemicals are used because of the danger of poisoning with toxic substances. Plants are sown on the plots to attract wasps and ladybirds, feeders and drinkers for birds feeding on caterpillars are hung.
If swallowtail larvae, listed in the Red Book, are found on dill, they do not rush to get rid of them, but transfer them to fennel, cow parsnip, angelica, mustard plaster.