Aphids are a dangerous parasite from the order of half-winged insects that feed on the juice of young plants. This pest often settles on the bottom of cabbage leaves, sucks vital juices out of them, leads to various diseases and even death of the plant. In order to prevent such consequences, it is necessary to recognize aphids on cabbage leaves in time and take all measures to combat them.
How to recognize aphids?
Aphids are an invisible but dangerous insect that feeds on plant sap. It can be recognized by such external characteristics:
- the body is translucent, egg-shaped and small in length - about 2.2-2.5 mm;
- the body color is pale green, often appearing gray due to a wax coating, with brown transverse torn stripes that begin with the first element of the abdomen;
- brown head with black eyes and short antennae, consisting of 5-6 segments;
- the oral apparatus is small and arranged like a proboscis, piercing the integumentary tissues of leaves and drawing juice from them;
- the tail is conical, dark green in color and without marginal tubercles;
- legs are brown, as are cylindrical tubes, which are slightly swollen in the middle and slightly shorter than the tail.
Such pests can often be found on representatives of cruciferous plants, which include not only all types of cabbage, but also the following crops:
- daikon;
- turnip;
- radish;
- radish.
Reproduction of the pest is quick, since the offspring are born without fertilization, and one female can lay up to 40-50 larvae. Moreover, about 15-20 generations of this pest are replaced per season.
In spring and summer only female insects are born. Males are born in autumn, when females lay their eggs on cabbage or other cruciferous plants remaining for the winter. They winter well if the plants are in the snow. In spring, when the air temperature reaches + 11-12 ° C, larvae hatch from the eggs, and their life cycle repeats. Females without wings appear after several rulers, after about half a month. They do not need males for fertilization, and each of them is capable of producing up to half a hundred larvae.
Causes of aphids
In most cases, aphids appear on plants after females accidentally fly into the garden in spring and lay eggs in the weeds, from which many larvae hatch after winter. This will be the beginning of the mechanism of reproduction of the insect.
In addition, ants can spread aphids. They coexist very closely with this pest, as the aphid gives off tidbits for them - a sweet taste. So, even in winter, ants keep aphid eggs in their anthills, and in the spring they take them out to the site and spread them to young plants.
If the cabbage is affected by aphids, it is often possible to find many black ants on it or near the plantings.
Signs of a Cabbage Damage
Aphids breed very quickly, so the sooner it is detected, the better. This can be done through regular inspections of cabbage leaves. If the pest has already hit the cabbage, then such signs will signal this:
- leaves discolor, especially at the apex, fade and become more fragile;
- the area between the veins on the leaf plates seems to decay and gradually begins to dry out;
- the plant gradually loses its green color, becomes covered with yellow spots and dries, as it loses chlorophyll and becomes unable to fully carry out photosynthesis;
- cabbage does not grow well, since it assimilates nutrients extremely slowly and at the same time quickly loses vital juices;
- a sticky, dirty coating appears on the plant, which is a waste of parasites;
- with a severe defeat, the leaves are twisted into tubes and deformed, but the heads do not form.
When examining cabbage for the presence of aphids, it should be borne in mind that initially the pest breeds on the bottom of the bushes, and eventually spreads to the entire plant.
With severe damage, aphid accumulations can be seen even with a superficial examination of cabbage.
Why is aphid dangerous?
The danger of aphids for cabbage lies in the fact that it quickly multiplies, sucks life juices from the culture and provokes disruptions in its vital functions, because of which the vegetable develops poorly and dies.
In addition, aphids can infect plants with various fungal and viral diseases, including:
- mosaic;
- black ring spotting;
- necrotic jaundice, etc.
The fact is that aphids can tolerate various diseases from diseased plants to healthy ones. So, if there is a sick plant in the garden, then insect colonies will quickly spread pathogenic microflora, so other garden plants growing in the neighborhood will also suffer.
Why is it difficult to fight aphids?
It is not so easy to get rid of aphids, because predatory insects refuse to bite it. The fact is that when the juices of cabbage are absorbed, aphids accumulate glucosinolate in the body, and a fermented substance, myrosinase, appears in its muscles. When a predator attacks aphids, it begins to secrete these enzymes, which are converted into mustard oil - a real poison for birds. As a result, predators either die or flee.
Even ladybugs who hunt aphids after a while either die due to mustard oil or crawl away from the colonies.
Meanwhile, the aphidius larvae cope with aphids. She lives in the body of the insect, because of which it swells in the form of a ball, becomes brown, sticks to the sheet and dies. It is known that such larvae are bred in special laboratories, so simple gardeners often do not have access to them. However, there are other ways to deal with cabbage pest, which can be found below.
Aphid control methods
After detecting aphids in the garden area, you must immediately begin to fight it. In this case, it is advisable to immediately apply several methods, each of which we will consider separately.
Biological and mechanical methods
They suggest breeding on the site of birds and insects that can destroy this pest until it has become an adult insect.
For these purposes, you need to attract such birds to the cabbage bed:
- tits;
- froth;
- hemp;
- sparrows.
To do this, install special feeders filled with cereals:
- sunflower seeds;
- millet;
- millet;
- oats.
Tits also will rejoice over the hanging unsalted fat, hard-boiled eggs, grained cottage cheese.
Of the insects, it is better to attract those individuals that are able to cope with aphid larvae. These include:
- ladybugs. They can be attracted if logs-houses with holes for wintering are installed on the site. This method is relevant for southern areas where the winters are warm. In other regions, to attract ladybugs in the garden, it is better to plant such plants:
- yarrow;
- tansy;
- buckwheat;
- dill;
- angelica
- clover.
- Gourds. To attract fly beetles, daisies and fennel should be planted on the site.
- Ground beetles. These insects prefer nightshade crops - tomatoes, potatoes, black nightshade.
- Lacewing. They love to hide in the leaves of a fern growing in the shade of the garden.
- Earwigs. Start where there are sawdust that can be arranged around the garden in pots.
In order to repel aphids on the site, you can also plant spicy plants, in particular:
- basil;
- peppermint;
- garlic;
- onion;
- fennel;
- lavender.
Between the beds, some experienced gardeners sow tobacco because it destroys cabbage caterpillars and aphids.
These methods are acceptable in the early stages of aphid cabbage infection when it is still in the form of a larva. With a large invasion of pests, they are ineffective, so they will have to be combined with the use of chemicals.
Physical way
It is acceptable at the stage when there are still a few pests in the garden. In this case, there is no need to use chemicals. The method consists in the destruction of aphids by hand. To do this, you need to carefully examine the beds, and crush the identified pests directly on the cabbage.
Chemical way
The most reliable and effective method of combating aphids, which involves the treatment of cabbage with biologically active drugs and chemical insecticides. Popular remedies include:
- Pyrethrum. Biological preparation in the form of powder based on chamomile. Before processing, it must be diluted in water at the rate of 60 g per 10 liters of liquid. They spray the cabbage in calm weather 1 time in 2 weeks throughout the entire growing season of the vegetable.
- Karbofos. A toxic, but very effective, broad-spectrum agent that helps get rid of adult pests and larvae. The insecticide must be diluted in water at the rate of 7.5 g per 5 liters. Wear equipment (respirator, rubber gloves) when spraying plants. The weather should be dry, without gusty wind. Use the drug 1 time. After processing the cabbage, the parasites will die in 2 hours, and the protective effect will last for 20 days or more, depending on weather conditions.
- Seyfos. Not as poisonous as Karbofos. It is most often used in cases when the seedlings were not processed before planting in a permanent place. The plant must be sprayed with a solution of 5 g of the product in 5 l of water. After spraying, the aphid disappears after 2-3 days.
- Spark. The insecticide is sold in several variations, so the package may have the prefix "Golden", "Bio" or "Double effect". Available in the form of a powder, tablets or liquid. Before use, the drug must be diluted in water according to the instructions on the package. After treatment, plant protection lasts about 3 weeks. To consolidate the effect, it can be reapplied after 15 days, and then once a month throughout the growing season. The final processing should be carried out at least 20 days before harvesting.
- Deltamethrin. A broad-spectrum insecticidal drug that can immediately destroy pests, since it blocks the transmission of nerve impulses, which leads to their paralysis and death. It is harmless to humans, as it contains only natural ingredients. It begins to act immediately after processing the cabbage and over the next 20 days.
Other drugs are also available on the basis of deltamethrin, including Decis Pro, Fas and Atom.
So that aphids do not get used to chemicals, they need to be changed annually. Although their use allows you to quickly get rid of pests, they still pose a danger to the vegetable, so after processing cabbage should be fed with natural fertilizers.
There are tools that simultaneously destroy aphids and feed cabbage. You can learn about one of them from the video below:
Folk ways
Not all gardeners like the chemical treatment of plants. Many people prefer to use folk remedies that do not have a toxic effect. These include:
- Water supplied under pressure. You can get rid of aphids using water, which is supplied through a hose. This creates pressure, due to which insects are washed off from plants. Aphids cannot crawl back. If you arrange such a shower often, you can gradually get rid of these insects.
- Soap solution. It is prepared from laundry or tar soap. For 10 liters of water you need to take 100 g of soap. Sprinkle the cabbage and legs with the finished composition from the spray gun.
- A mixture of soap and soda. In 10 liters, dilute 1 tbsp. l soda ash and 1/2 bar of laundry soap grated on a fine grater. Spray cabbage with the composition.
If you use only soda, it will not linger on the leaves and will quickly wash off in the rain, so it is supplemented with soap.
- Flask of Ash. In a 10-liter bucket of water, take 2 cups of wood ash. Stir the composition thoroughly and process cabbage leaves with it. Ash can also be used in combination with cinnamon and pepper (red and black). Spices should be mixed in equal proportions and add 200 g of wood ash. Separately, dilute 200 g of laundry soap in 1 liter of warm water, add the finished powder and 9 liters of cool water. Stir the composition thoroughly and use as intended 2 times with 3-day intervals. In order to prevent cabbage can be processed 1 time per month.
- Tobacco Broth. To prepare a concentrated product, you need to grind 10 g of dry tobacco, pour 5 l of water and insist for a day. Next, boil the composition for 2 hours over low heat, after adding another 5 liters of water. Treat the broth with cabbage from a watering can or spray.
- Decoction of orange peel. Take 2 cups of chopped and dried peels of orange, pour them with warm water and insist for a day. Then boil the composition for about 10-15 minutes, strain and dilute 10 liters of water. At the end, add 100 g of soap and use as directed.
- Sharp infusion. Prepare garlic, horseradish (leaves or roots) and hot pepper. Grind horseradish, fill it with a third pot and pour boiling water over it. Insist until the water cools down. Take 2 pods of hot pepper and a head of garlic, finely chop and pour 1 liter of boiled water. Then pour this solution into a saucepan with horseradish. Before processing plants, add a little liquid soap.
- Infusion of celandine. Take 4 kg of raw or 1 kg of dry grass, pour 10 liters of hot water and insist for a day. Strain the composition, add a little liquid soap and use as directed.
- Infusion of tops of potatoes or tomatoes. Finely chop fresh tops of tomatoes or potatoes. In equal parts, you can take both. Half-fill the pan with ready-made raw materials and pour boiled water. Insist for a day, strain and add a little soap. Ready composition to process the cabbage.
- Sorrel infusion. The aphid sorrel infusion does not like. To prepare it, dig out the roots of the plant, grind and pour boiling water at the rate of 150 g per 5 liters of water. Insist throughout the day and use to spray the affected plants.
- Dandelion Flask. Dig out the roots of dandelion (200 g) and collect leaves (500 g). Grind the raw materials and insist for about 3 hours in boiling water. Strain the composition, add liquid soap and treat them with cabbage.
- Camomile tea. To prepare it, take 100 g of dry raw materials, pour 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 12 hours. Strain the infusion, add 2 liters of water, add a little soap and spray them with plants.
- Infusion of onion husks and onions. Take 2 onions and a little onion peel. Chop the onion, combine with the husk and pour 2 l of hot water. Insist for about 4 hours, add soap and use as directed.
- Needles infusion. It is prepared for 1 week. Take 1 kg of pine needles and pour 4 liters of boiled water. Insist for a week, while mixing the needles daily. Before applying the infusion, dilute it with water in equal proportions.
- Vinegar. It repels insects with its pungent smell. Need to take 1 tbsp. essences and dilute in 10 liters of water. It is enough to process the cabbage with the agent 2 times to completely get rid of the aphids.
- Mustard. To treat the affected leaves, you can prepare a solution of 50 g of powder in 5 l of water. In addition, dry mustard should be scattered near the anthills, because ants are the spread of aphids.
- Essential oils. In the fight against aphids on cabbage, excellent results are shown by the use of essential oils - tea tree, lavender, thyme, cedar. 10 drops of each product must be diluted in 0.5 l of water and the composition to spray each leaf of cabbage. Processing in the evening.
- Ammonia. Like vinegar, it repels insects with its sharp supply. Helps to get rid of even adult aphids. In 10 l of water you need to mix 50 ml of ammonia and pour the cabbage from a watering can.
You can use an alcohol solution no more than 1 time in 14 days, otherwise an excess of nitrogen will lead to deformation of the leaves and impaired growth of the vegetable.
How to treat cabbage with an effective folk remedy based on ammonia is described in the video below:
Prevention
There are a number of preventative measures that will help protect the garden from aphids:
- in late autumn, completely clear the site of the remains of vegetable crops, dry them and burn them, and not keep them in the garden;
- in autumn, carefully dig the soil to a depth of at least 25 cm;
- fight weeds in a timely manner, removing them from all tracks;
- use the technology of mixed planting, planting spicy herbs, tobacco near the cabbage bed;
- comply with crop rotation rules when planting cabbage after carrots, onions and legumes;
- pay special attention to the fertilizer of cabbage, as aphids appear on weak young plants that are not sufficiently fertilized.
Errors of inexperienced gardeners
The most common mistakes that can lead to the spread of aphids are:
- Landing violation. If you do not observe the optimal distance between plants, untimely fertilize and improperly water the seedlings, the plants will turn out weakened and will attract the attention of insects.
- Abuse of chemicals. They destroy not only aphids, but also insects that prey on it. It turns out that such treatment is harmful to plants. Chemistry is necessary only when the aphids are too many, and it can completely destroy the entire crop.
- Aphid Egg Conservation. Many gardeners do not clean the stumps and weeds in the fall, so the eggs laid on them remain wintering in the garden, and in spring the larvae hatch.
Aphids are a small-looking insect that can destroy a large crop of cabbage. It is important to start the fight against the pest in a timely manner, and even better - to prevent its occurrence, observing preventive measures. It is also important to comply with agricultural techniques for growing and caring for cabbage.