3 proven ways to deal with scoop caterpillars in a greenhouse
Everyone knows how much damage caterpillars can do in a greenhouse. If you do not get rid of them in time, you can lose the crop. In greenhouses, they are especially active and voracious due to comfortable conditions.
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Caterpillar and butterfly scoops (photo)
butterfly scoop
The adult is an inconspicuous butterfly. She is like a moth. The size varies between 3 - 4 cm. Butterflies have a gray - brown color, and strokes and stripes create a pattern on the wings.
Scoop caterpillar
The caterpillar is fertile.
- She is able to lay about 500 eggs during the summer period. Places of masonry - flowers and leaves. The eggs are flat at the bottom and convex at the top.
- In a warm environment, they can ripen within 2 to 5 days, and in a cool environment - from 4 to 10 days. After the end of development, they settle in the soil.
- The period of pupation and wintering begins. The life span of an adult scoop is from 20 to 40 days.
- Development takes 20 days. The naked body has a gray, yellow-green, brown color. The pest is quite long and large. Sometimes the length reaches 2 cm.
Seeing insects is not easy. Active caterpillars and butterflies exclusively at night.
Caterpillar on tops of tomatoes.
Scoops very much damage the greenhouse tomato. They eat tops, buds, tomatoes. They gnaw holes and dwell inside. Affected vegetables should not be consumed by humans. They also like to eat eggplant, cabbage, pepper.
A warm and humid greenhouse environment is very favorable for pests. At temperatures below 10 degrees, insects die. However, the eggs are able to survive the winter frost in the upper layer of the earth.
Extraction of juice is not the only problem that caterpillars cause. They carry infections. The plant is being suppressed. It doesn't grow any further. The fruits are not to be eaten.
The appearance of pests in greenhouses
By certain signs, you can understand that insects have appeared:
- in the lower parts of the leaves you can see small and adult individuals;
- the upper part of the leaf is covered with white "powder", later the leaf will turn black;
Scoops eat tops and fruits.
- drying and twisting of the tops occurs;
- tomatoes have inedible whitish flesh;
- tops with "bites", uneven edges, spots;
- tomatoes with gnawed holes, insects inside.
The cutworm can be seen very well, and the whitefly can be detected by shaking the plant.
The appearance of pests occurs in several ways.
- An adult insect flies into the greenhouse and lays eggs.
- Also in the soil that was brought into the greenhouse, pupae and larvae may remain.
In a warm environment, they can multiply rapidly.
How to deal with caterpillars in a greenhouse
Be sure to ventilate the greenhouse. This will ensure the normal circulation of oxygen and the absence of condensate. Pests prefer a heavily thickened planting. It is necessary to do regular weeding and get rid of old lower branches and unnecessary side shoots.
There are several ways to eliminate pests.
Chemical
Pesticides are very effective in this matter. But they pose a danger to plants and humans. The full output of pesticides takes 20 to 30 days. It is advisable to calculate the expected harvest time.
Insecticides are an extreme solution to the problem. Poisonous components tend to accumulate. They are able to be absorbed in several generations of plantings. The fastest withdrawal is for drugs with a 4th hazard class. These are Aktofit, Lepidocid, Fitoverm, Agravertin.
They are treated with a respirator, protective clothing, thick gloves and goggles. At the same time, the doors are opened and processing is carried out very quickly.
The following are considered universal drugs:
Folk
Folk methods are effective at the initial stage of the appearance of insects.
The head of garlic is finely chopped and poured into a saucepan (volume 1 l). Pour boiling water and insist for 3 days. Then half a glass is added to a bucket of water. Spray the plant.
Freshly cut wormwood is poured into a bucket. The third part of the tank should be occupied. Fill with water. Boil for half an hour. Insist for 2 days, filter. Leaves and stem are processed.
Shag will also help. Shag (300g) is poured into a bucket of heated water. Insist 1 day. Spray the plant. According to the same principle, tobacco infusion is also sprayed.
Laundry soap shavings are dissolved in water and whipped into a thick foam. Bubbles are collected with a sponge and applied to the leaves on both sides. This composition remains on the leaves and does not allow pests to eat.
The saline solution can corrode the caterpillar. To do this, dilute salt in warm water. However, the proportions in gardeners' recipes are most often "by eye".
Potato tops are one of the most effective remedies. The green part is added to water in proportions of 1:10. Defend and filter. Add a little laundry soap and stir.
Laundry soap must be added to any prepared composition. This contributes to a longer action on the sheets. Rub usually a third of the bar of soap. Then rubbed soap is stirred and processed. Spray over the entire length. But special attention is paid to the lower part of the leaves.
Catch of pests
Trap-bait.
It is also appropriate to use a fumigator and traps. Usually yellow cardboard is chosen and honey, thick oil, petroleum jelly, garden glue are applied. Caterpillars are not interested in such bait. Only butterflies fall.
You can dig a container with compote or kvass into the ground. The pleasant scent will attract insects. Burdock tincture is a great option. The burdock is cut and added to the water. Defend 4 days. Strain and add soap shavings.
Preventative methods
Pest control is not that easy. It is better to avoid the appearance of insects. For this, preventive maintenance is done annually:
- after the end of the season, be sure to collect all the remains and burn;
- in the autumn they dig up the greenhouse earth deeply. Remove more than 15 cm of soil and change to fresh soil;
- disinfect the soil, water it with boiling water or potassium permanganate;
- dig periodically so that there are no weeds;
- seedlings are watered under the root in the morning so that the moisture evaporates until the evening;
- in the presence of self-pollinating plants, they put mosquito nets or hang a gauze, tulle curtain;
- processed with the help of "Decis", "Citcor" with a break of 7 days.
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Conclusion
No one is immune from the invasion of caterpillars in the greenhouse. Each gardener can choose any method for the destruction of pests. However, prevention will prevent problems.
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