Stem raspberry fly: methods of dealing with an insidious lover of sweet berries
In the spring and summer, many gardeners are puzzled by the question of what kind of pest the raspberry fly is, how to deal with it with improvised means. The parasite is able to quickly destroy the crop of fragrant berries, and the difficulty of getting rid of it is due to its small size and non-specific signs of infection.
Content
- Description of the pest raspberry stem fly
- How the stem fly gets into the raspberry
- Signs of damage to the bushes raspberry fly
- What harm does the raspberry fly
- Raspberry fly control methods
- Features of the fight against raspberry fly at different times of the year
- Pest prevention and raspberry care
- Pest resistant raspberry varieties
Description of the pest raspberry stem fly
The raspberry or stem fly is a pest of raspberries and blackberries. In order to recognize this parasite in time, you need to understand how it looks and what are its features.
The raspberry fly looks like an ordinary midge, its size does not exceed 5-7 mm. The color of the body is gray-brown, the body is lowered, the legs are black, the wings are translucent.
Reproduction and stages of development
How the stem fly gets into the raspberry
The reasons for the fly to get into the raspberries are the errors of agricultural technology.
| Wrong neighborhood | It is not recommended to plant raspberries next to old plantings of the same crop, blackberries, meadowsweet and meadowsweet. All of them are susceptible to attack by the stem fly, so most often all nearby plantings are infected. |
| Launched raspberry | The parasite prefers dense plantings, so you need to get rid of weeds and plant debris in time, as well as cut bushes. |
| Defeat of aphids | The raspberry fly is attracted to sweet scents, including honeydew given off by aphids. If you do not exterminate the first pest, then, most likely, a second one will appear soon. |
| Poor quality fertilizer | Pest larvae can get into the soil with humus, which was used as a fertilizer for raspberries. |
Signs of damage to the bushes raspberry fly
Outwardly, the defeat of the raspberry fly looks like this:
- hanging tops of stems;
- wilting of leaves from top to bottom;
- escape drying;
- bluish shade of stems.
What harm does the raspberry fly
The main danger for berry bushes is the larvae of the parasite. They affect the very first, strong shoots of the plant, as a result of which the plant cannot continue its normal development. The natural nutrition of the tops of the stem is disturbed, as the pest eats away the entire core of the stem and reaches the root system. The leaves wither, and later the stem itself dries up and dies.
Raspberry fly control methods
It is necessary to start the fight against the stem fly with elementary methods. This is an inspection of the shoots and the removal of all damaged parts. Then you can proceed to more active actions: to exterminate the pest, gardeners use insecticides, biological preparations and folk recipes.
Insekticidы
Chemical compounds are used both for the direct destruction of pests, and for the prevention of their occurrence. It is necessary to remember about the safety measures when using such drugs: it is better to carry out the treatment in calm, cloudy, but rainless weather.
It should also be understood that all insecticides are toxic substances, so you need to work wearing protective clothing, a mask and gloves.
Biological preparations
There are also safer, biological drugs. Their effectiveness is somewhat lower compared to chemicals, but they can be safely used an unlimited number of times per season.
The most popular among gardeners received the following compositions
Folk remedies
Pests fly into the raspberries, focusing on the smell. To disorientate them, it is necessary to use other odorous substances, for example, birch tar.
The recipe is:
- Pour 10 gr. into a glass of water. birch tar and 30 ml. liquid soap, mix thoroughly.
- Top up with water to a volume of 10 liters.
- Carefully treat the leaves, shoots and soil under the plant.
Gardeners are also aware of other stem fly repellent recipes:
- spraying with a mustard solution (dissolve 1 tablespoon of mustard powder in 10 liters of warm water);
- treatment with a decoction of tansy (dissolve 300 g of the main component in 3-5 liters and boil for 20-30 minutes, then cool and strain);
- planting sharp-smelling crops next to raspberries - garlic and onions.
Traps
Also, good results can be achieved with the help of traps. You can make them yourself: hang plastic bottles with slots among the raspberry bushes. Pour any sugar-containing odorous liquid into the bottles: compote, juice, beer, honey solution. The more intense the smell, the more attractive it is to insects, so if the liquid ferments in the heat, even better.
Features of the fight against raspberry fly at different times of the year
Choosing methods to combat the raspberry fly should be based on the time of year.
Pest prevention and raspberry care
It is much easier to observe the prevention of the appearance of a raspberry fly than to deal with its invasion later. The following measures will reduce the risk of an annoying pest on the site:
- Regular feeding and timely watering of the bushes. Healthy plants are more resistant to parasites.
- Thinning of young shoots. Raspberry thickets should not be allowed, as they are a very comfortable environment for the reproduction and development of flies.
- Planting odorous plants next to raspberries - elderberry, coriander, marigolds, celery. With their aroma, they will create a protective barrier - the parasite will not be able to catch the smell of raspberries and will not find them.
- Cleaning of plant debris, remnants of leaves and old shoots. If there is mulch on the soil, it must be changed to fresh in a timely manner.
Pest resistant raspberry varieties
Much depends on the type of raspberry. Breeders have bred varieties that are relatively resistant to pests. Among them:
- Zorenka;
- Bell;
- Balm;
- Ruby;
- Falcon;
- Vera.