Aphids appeared on the apple tree: how to treat the tree for protection and prevention
Everyone knows about such a pest of plants and trees as aphids. The insect causes enormous damage to gardens. The fight against it is very important for the preservation of the crop. The apple variety is divided into green and red gall gray.
Content
Apple aphid: photo
Description of apple aphid
Name: apple aphid
Latin: aphis pomiClass: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Hemiptera - Hemiptera
Family: Real aphids - Aphididae
 | Habitats: | everywhere |
 | Features: | cold tolerant, multiplies rapidly |
 | Harm: | feeds on plant sap, spoils foliage and buds |
Aphids on an apple tree.
The color of the wingless female is yellowish-green. Length up to 2 mm. The head is brown with marginal tubercles on the side. There are yellow whiskers. The tail is black and finger-shaped.
The belly of the winged female is green. There are dark spots on 6, 7, 8 segments. The size varies between 1,8 - 2 mm. The color of the head, chest, antennae, legs, tubules is black.
Males are smaller than females. They barely reach 1,2 mm. Outwardly, they are similar to females. The eggs are black. They have an elongated oval shape.
The red-gall apple aphid is greenish-brown or dark brown with a gray coating and a red head.
Life cycle
The place of wintering of eggs is the bark of young shoots. When the buds open, the larvae hatch. Their habitat is the tops of the kidneys. They are sucking juices.
Embryonic development is facilitated by temperatures above 5 degrees Celsius. Hatching occurs at 6 degrees Celsius. The number of generations per season ranges from 4 to 8.
The hatching of larvae is influenced by climate. For example, in the Russian Federation this is the end of April - the beginning of May, in Moldova and Ukraine - the middle of April, in Central Asia - the end of March - the beginning of April.
Later, pests are located on the underside of the leaves and on green young shoots. The development of larvae occurs within 2 weeks. Wingless founding females appear. Their breeding path is virgin.
The larvae of founding females turn into viviparous females that give offspring. Usually there are up to 60 larvae. The growing season is supposed to be no more than 15 generations.
The female streak appears in August. Its larvae eventually become female and male aphids. The mating season falls in autumn. The clutch contains up to 5 eggs. Eggs can overwinter, and aphids die.
Mass development and reproduction of aphids depends on moderate temperature and humidity. Drought and heavy rainfall hinder these processes.
Habitat
The area covers:
- Europe;
Green apple aphid.
- Asia;
- North Africa;
- America.
The largest population in the Russian Federation falls on the European part, Siberia, the south of the taiga, the forest-steppe zone, Primorsky Krai. Huge populations are noted in the Transcaucasus and in Kazakhstan.
The period of activity begins in spring and ends in late autumn.
The red-gall apple aphid inhabits Eastern Europe. In the northern part of Russia it borders on St. Petersburg and Yaroslavl. It can be found in some areas of the Urals, Transcaucasia, and the Volga region. In Asia, the largest number is in Turkmenistan.
Economic importance
The steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Russian Federation and Ukraine are subjected to the greatest losses. Apple aphid destroys:
- apple tree
- pear;
- plum;
- quince;
- mountain ash;
- hawthorn;
- cotoneaster;
- bird cherry;
- peach;
- apricot.
External signs of damage
Aphids on an apple tree.
Insects tend to form colonies. They cover the upper parts of the shoots and leaves. Leaves begin to curl and dry up. Shoots become twisted and stop growing. In nurseries, young shoots die off, as there are no nutritious juices.
The appearance of the red-gall apple aphid begins with swelling on the leaf plates. Usually swelling has red borders. Aphids create them.
Natural enemies
Natural enemies include ladybug, hoverfly, lacewing. Be sure to destroy the ants, as they guard the aphids. Ants feed on sugary secretions and surround pests with colonies.
15 allies in the fight against aphids can be viewed and picked up here.
Methods of struggle
The most effective will be the timely prediction of the time of occurrence of pests. Be sure to cut out tops and basal shoots, as there may be eggs in these places. Autumn cleaning and burning leaves give a good result.
Let's get acquainted with 26 ways to deal with aphids more.
Conclusion
Apple aphids can cause irreparable harm to the site. However, with the help of chemicals or folk remedies, you can get rid of it. For faster results, several methods are used simultaneously.
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