How to deal with aphids on an apple tree folk remedies and agrochemistry

The likelihood of aphids appearing on an apple tree in the summer is high. To preserve the harvest, the gardener should take a number of measures in advance to protect the plantings from the pest.

Despite their small size, aphids are capable of causing significant damage due to their high reproduction rate. Migrating through the air, pests quickly fill the site and begin to destroy the plantings.

Types of apple aphids

According to the modern classification, aphids belong to the order of hemiptera insects. Scientists have identified about 4000 species of pest, a quarter of them are able to live in the climatic conditions of European countries.

Apple aphid is represented by three types:

• red-gall (gray);
• green;
• blood.

The gray aphid attacks the apple tree when young leaves are just beginning to bloom. The body of the pest is painted in the color of steel, the head is black. It is hard not to notice the insect colonies on the infected tree: the leaves that have lost their juices begin to curl, spots of red-cherry color appear in the puncture sites. The apple tree begins to lose its ovary, the young shoots stop developing. If measures are not taken in time to destroy the gall aphid, the tree may die.

Damage caused by other types of pest looks different.

• When green aphids attack, the leaves turn black, a sooty mushroom appears on them.
• Blood aphid, it is red, is even more harmful, as it can damage the roots of an apple tree. Its body is covered with white fluff, so the insect colonies look like snow flakes and are very noticeable. Pests hibernate in cracks in the bark, and with the arrival of heat they come to the surface and begin to suck the juices from the wood. In damaged areas, nodules appear, young shoots grow curved.

Most often, you have to deal with the red-gall aphid on the apple tree. Insect activity peaks in September.

Propagation paths

In one season, the apple aphid is capable of giving up to 15 generations. A pest can get to the site by flying through the air, so even a well-groomed, clean garden is not immune from its attack.

One can suspect the dispersal of aphids by the appearance of ants feeding on its sticky secretions. There are no other symptoms in the early stages of infection. Aphids first inhabit the upper branches and only then spreads throughout the tree.

The pest can enter the garden with planting material, so it is advisable to process the acquired seedlings by fumigation. The whole planting material is soaked in a solution of "Danadim", "Phosphamide" or "Rogor", using 20 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water. It is necessary to carry out the procedure in the open air, using protective equipment. Processing time is 5-10 minutes. Then the seedlings are placed in a large sealed bag for 12-24 hours, then washed and planting.

How to treat an apple tree from aphids by spraying

When infected, it is imperative to treat the apple tree from aphids. The insect not only causes direct harm to fruit trees, but also carries dangerous diseases and viruses.

Various methods are used to combat aphids. Sometimes you have to act in a complex way: the pest is able to develop immunity to poisons.

The use of chemicals

Newbies are often lost and do not know what to do if a pest is found on the site. In this case, it is better not to hesitate and use chemicals as soon as possible for processing that can significantly reduce the number of aphids.

If the insect annoyed in the previous season, the apple tree is processed in early spring. During this period, the leaves are just beginning to bloom and the risk of damaging them is minimized, but the aphid larvae are completely unprotected.

There are various preparations on sale that effectively destroy overwintered pests and their larvae:

• "Nitrafen". To prepare the solution, use 300 g of the drug per 10 liters of water. You need to spray the apple tree before bud break.
• "Oleocobrite"... It is used for a one-time preventive treatment at the beginning of the season. Destroys adults, larvae and insect eggs. Used at 4% concentration. At the same time, it destroys ticks, copperheads, effectively fights scab.
• Kinmix. Insecticide of contact-intestinal action, capable of destroying adults and larvae. The solution must be sprayed on young leaves on both sides. For 10 liters of water, dilute 1 ampoule of the drug.

After flowering, in June and July, so that the solution does not burn the leaves, it is necessary to use milder insecticides:

• "Cypermethrin",
• "Decis",
• "Spark".

Spraying trees with these products is possible throughout the summer every 2.5–3 weeks.

Also among summer residents are popular preparations "Karate" and Inta-Vir ".

• "Karate" differs in economy of use: for the treatment of one hundred square meters of the site, 1 ampoule of "Karate" (2 ml) is diluted per 10 liters of water. It can be used in combination with other products.
• "Inta-Vir" refers to drugs with a wide spectrum of action and destroys about 50 species of insect pests that are dangerous for the garden. For one adult apple tree, you will need 5 liters of solution prepared at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 liters of water.

Effective folk remedies

To combat pests in the garden, our ancestors used folk remedies. These recipes are time-tested and have long proven their effectiveness. Today they are used by those who are negative about the use of chemistry on their site. Such products are safe for plants and humans, do not harm the environment, and do not degrade the quality of the soil.

You can remove aphids on an apple tree if you sprinkle it with one of the following compounds:

• Garlic infusion. To prepare the product, you will need 5-6 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp. liquid soap and 2 tsp. vegetable oil. Pour the garlic with a glass of water and leave for 24 hours. After that, the remaining components are added, mixed thoroughly and poured into a 3-liter jar, which is then filled to the top with water. The finished infusion is filtered through cheesecloth and sprayed onto the leaves of the apple tree.
• Infusion of tobacco. The tool is especially effective at the initial stage of the appearance of the pest. The spray composition is prepared from 200 g of dried tobacco and 5 liters of water, infusing it for 2 days. Then filter the contents of the container, add 50 g of soap shavings and add another 5 liters of water. After the soap is completely dissolved, the infusion is used for spraying.
• Onion peel decoction. First, 200 g of raw materials are poured with 10 liters of boiling water and cooked over low heat for 5-10 minutes. After that, the broth is infused for 4–5 days, filtered and used to combat the pest.
• Infusion of celandine. The herb is used fresh. To prepare the infusion, 1 kg of raw materials is crushed, placed in an enamel bucket, 3 liters of boiling water are poured, after half an hour another 7 liters of hot water are added, covered with a lid and insisted for 2 days. The infected tree is treated with the finished infusion.

For prevention, you can use an affordable tool such as wood ash. It was noticed that aphids do not touch trees treated with an ash solution. Prepare it at the rate of 2 glasses of ash per bucket of water. To make the solution better adhere to the leaves, you can add 100 g of grated laundry soap to it. When processing, you need to try to get the product on the underside of the leaves - this is where the larvae and adult aphids most often settle.

Preventive measures

Aphid control measures are best directed at preventing the appearance of the pest. First of all, it is necessary to observe agricultural techniques and provide trees with full care.

• The insect will not be able to bite through dense leaves. In order for an apple tree to grow such foliage, it needs regular watering and feeding. But nitrogen fertilization should be applied in moderation, overfeeding with nitrogen also contributes to the infection of aphids.
• It is recommended to sprinkle the crown from time to time.
• The trunk circle must be mulched.
• In the fall, it is necessary to clean the trunks and skeletal branches with a hard scraper, having previously spread an oilcloth on the ground. The exfoliated areas of the bark must be removed and burned - along with them, the aphid larvae will be destroyed.
• Not far from the apple tree, you can plant plants whose aphid aroma does not tolerate. It can be lavender, calendula, garlic, tansy.
• But nasturtium, cosmos, mallow, viburnum and linden should not be nearby - they attract aphids.
• To attract insects that feed on aphids, you can plant nettles and herbs next to the apple tree.
• It is advisable to hang several birdhouses on the site to attract birds that destroy the pest. In the fight will help tits, linnet, sparrows, robins.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely protect your garden from the pest due to its active migration. However, it is necessary to fight aphids so that their numbers are under control and steadily decline. For this, in the spring and autumn, preventive work should be carried out, and in the summer, the pest must be destroyed in all possible ways.