What worms spoil honeysuckle berries and how to get rid of them
Honeysuckle is not only a beautiful plant that pleases summer residents with its decorative look, but also a healthy and tasty berry that is ideal for fresh consumption and processing. Unlike other fruit bushes, the harvest ripens early - in June, gardeners harvest the first fruits.
Insect pests can spoil the quality and reduce the amount of the crop. They appear on young and adult plants, spread quickly and are able to destroy all berries. We will tell you what pests affect honeysuckle and how to remove worms from berries.
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What pests spoil the honeysuckle berries and how to treat the bush
Honeysuckle is characterized by unpretentious care, however, it requires regular prevention of the appearance insect pests... If you do not devote time and attention to protective procedures, flies, aphids, and nematodes appear on the bushes.
Pests are able to destroy the entire crop of garden honeysuckle, capturing fruit trees and shrubs growing nearby. What white worms live in honeysuckle, we will consider further.
Mealybug
The mealybug is a sucking insect. It affects the bark and leaves of honeysuckle, when it appears, the plant quickly dries up and dies. The mealybug is frost-resistant, its larvae hibernate in felt cocoons, which are hidden in the cracks of the old bark.
Females do harm to the shrub - one individual lays up to 500 eggs in early summer. It is difficult to notice the mealybug with the naked eye: the length of the miniature body is only 5 mm, it is covered with a waxy coating.
To get rid of the mealybug on honeysuckle, gardeners use professional drugs - "Aktellik", "Inta-vir", "Fitoverm". Means of intestinal contact are effective and easy to use. Before using the drug, summer residents are advised to carefully read the instructions and safety rules.
Attention! Processing contact fungicides are carried out no more than 2 weeks before the harvest of the honeysuckle. Dilute the drug in a plastic container, spray the honeysuckle in the early morning on a dry and calm day.
Cherry fly
The cherry fly belongs to the variegated family, loves to feast on cherries, cherries, honeysuckle. Pest larvae develop in fruits and feed on pulp.
Honeysuckle affected by a cherry fly deforms, loses color and falls to the ground. The length of the insect is 3-5 mm, the body is black, shiny. An ideal place for a pest - berries starting to ripen. The fly can destroy 30% to 100% of the crop.
As soon as summer residents notice a cherry fly in the garden, they build a trap. A plastic bottle with a cut-off neck is installed in the crown of trees and a sweet drink is poured into it, for example, fruit drink, kvass, juice or compote. A cherry fly, attracted by the smell of a fermented drink, enters through the funnel and cannot get out.
Helps to get rid of the insect and another folk remedy - tobacco solution. 400 g of crushed tobacco is poured into 10 liters of boiled water and removed to a dark place for 24 hours. After boiling over low heat, filter, add 40 g of grated laundry soap. Both affected and healthy shrubs are treated.
Gall nematode
Gall nematode lives in garden soil and sucks nutritious juice from the roots. The length of the worm does not exceed 3 mm, the diameter is 0.5 mm. The root system weakens, pathogens of fungal and bacterial infections penetrate into it.
Also rootworm nematode carries viruses, which are very difficult to get rid of.
Damaged honeysuckle stops growing, the berries lose their taste and color, and the entire root rot. The penetration of the pest into the soil is facilitated by irrigation with ice water from open water bodies, for example, swamps or lakes.
If worms are found in honeysuckle, gardeners water the plant under the root with a liquid preparation "Pirantel"... It affects both larvae and adults.
Repeated treatment with "Pirantel" is carried out in 2-3 weeks. Also get rid of pests helps the drug "Dekaris" (sold in a pharmacy). One tablet is diluted in 2 liters of water and watered with berry bushes in the early morning.
Is it possible to remove worms from berries
If a after harvest worms are found in fresh honeysuckle, summer residents use a proven method.
A solution is prepared from 50 g of salt and 3 liters of water. Immerse the affected honeysuckle there. After 40-60 minutes, the worms themselves will crawl out of the fruit and appear on the surface of the water. The liquid is drained, and the berries are thoroughly washed under running clean water 2-3 times. For convenience, use a colander.
Conclusion
Gall nematode, cherry fly, mealybug actively spread in the garden and feed on the plant cell sap, leaving wounds and cracks behind. Insects are small, therefore, in order to find them, summer residents regularly inspect honeysuckle plantings and, at the first signs of damage, begin treatment.
Use professional drugs "Aktellik", "Fitoverm", "Dekaris" or folk remedies - a trap with juice or treatment with a tobacco solution. Spray the bushes on a windless morning. Re-processing is carried out after 2-3 weeks.