Secretive and dangerous - what does a carrot fly look like: photo and fight against it in the beds
Gardeners who grow vegetables in their gardens face various pests. One of them is a carrot fly. It is dangerous for carrots and other plants from the umbrella family. Its larvae settle inside the root crops, carrots become hard and tasteless, rot over time. In order for the fight against the carrot fly to be successful, you need to find out at what time it appears and how to deal with it correctly. Experienced vegetable growers share methods of dealing with chemicals and effective folk recipes.
Content
Description of the pest
The carrot fly looks like a common fly. She is very prolific, but it is not the fly that is dangerous, but her faces, which damage the carrots. The body of a carrot fly is 4-5 mm long, dark in color with a reddish-yellow head and bright yellow legs. The wings are longer than the abdomen, transparent with a greenish tinge.
Life cycle
Reasons for the appearance of a pest on the site
Heat and moisture contribute to the high fecundity of insects. Carrots planted in the shade and in damp places are favorable conditions for the appearance of pest larvae from eggs. Also, heavily thickened crops, or plantings overgrown with weeds, attract flies. It is better to plant carrots in places well lit by the sun.
Signs and effects of carrot fly infestation
Plants damaged by pest larvae with purple leaves. Root crops with black dots, outgrowths on the outside, inside with many passages of larvae. Such root crops deteriorate inside, are not suitable for storage and food.
How to get rid of a carrot fly: ways and means
To destroy the carrot fly, many different means are used. All of them are effective and can be used
Chemical and biological
Chemical and biological preparations are effective, some of them act on pests at any stage of development.
Traditional recipes
To scare away the carrot fly during the flight, use decoctions or infusions of herbs with a strong odor. Plants with a strong aroma are also planted next to carrot beds.
The most popular folk recipes to scare away carrot flies.
| Means | Application rules |
|---|---|
| Infusion from tops of tomatoes | 4 kg of chopped tops are boiled in 10 liters of water for 30 minutes and infused for 3 hours. The resulting infusion is filtered, 50 grams of liquid soap is poured in and the plants are treated. |
| Onion infusion | 300 grams of onion are chopped, poured with 2 liters of boiling water and insisted for a day. The infusion is filtered and diluted with water up to 10 liters, soap is added and used for its intended purpose. |
| Tincture of marigold herbs, wormwood and yarrow | Herbs are taken in equal parts, crushed, filled with a mixture of herbs in a bucket. Pour in boiling water and leave to infuse until the mixture cools completely. Filter, add liquid soap and process the beds. Grass from the tincture, laid out between the rows to repel the pest. |
| Vinegar solution | The first shoots are treated with a solution of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of vinegar essence per 8 liters of water, or ammonia, 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. |
| Dusting | During the period of flight and egg laying, the aisles are dusted with tobacco dust or mustard powder, in the morning and in the evening, with an interval of one week. 1 tablespoon of the product is scattered on 1 sq. M. The method is effective in dry weather. |
With such means, the beds are treated in the morning and in the evening, once a week. But folk remedies are effective as long as there is no mass invasion of pests. After rain, the treatment with infusions of herbs is repeated.
Agrotechnical events
Agrotechnical measures help protect carrot beds from pests:
- beds with carrots are placed in an open sunny area;
- good predecessors of carrots are onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, radishes;
- timely thinning of plantings and weeding will help protect crops from pests;
- alternate when planting rows of carrots and onions;
- do not overmoisten the soil, excess moisture favorably affects the development of eggs,
- when watering, do not pour water on top of the plant, but in the aisle;
- plant fragrant plants on both sides of the beds: marigolds, calendula;
- in autumn, after harvesting, dig up the soil so that the pupae remaining overwintering die.
Features of the fight against carrot fly larvae
Carrot fly larvae can be controlled mechanically or with the help of chemicals.
Varieties resistant to carrot fly
There are no absolutely resistant varieties. The variety or hybrid must be adapted to the weather conditions in the region where it will be grown. But some varieties have greater resistance to carrot fly damage and it is better to give preference to these varieties:
- Vitamin 5;
- Flakke (Flakke);
- Calgary F 1 (Calgary);
- Perfection;
- Nantes 4;
- Shantane.
Protection of the site from the appearance of a pest
A few simple remedies will help protect carrot beds from pests.
- You can protect the site from the invasion of insects with the help of a vertical low fence. Flies fly low over the plants, and the fence will prevent them from reaching the carrot beds.
- During the period of a large invasion of insects, bottles with a cut neck are installed on the beds, inside of which there is bread kvass. Flies will fly to the smell and fall into the trap.
- Naphthalene tablets are placed in plastic bottles with a cut neck and placed on the beds, the smell of naphthalene will repel pests.
- Toads and frogs eat flies. They can be attracted to the site if you build small piles of firewood in the cool corners of the site.