Mire on currants. How to deal with it?
Content:
Currant is perhaps one of the most popular berries that all summer residents strive to grow on their plots. Currants are unpretentious about care, soil and weather conditions. It is the moth that is considered the most dangerous insect that can cause significant harm to currant bushes. So what to do if a moth appears on a currant? Read below.
Moth on currant: signs of appearance
What does a moth look like on a currant
Moths are relatively small in size. They can reach a maximum length of 3 cm. This insect can be easily recognized by its color. The upper wings are gray with dark spots and light longitudinal stripes.
The lower wings are dark gray in color with a fringe, which is located along the edges. The moth caterpillars have a black head, and the body is green in color. The firefly is able to drink all the juice from the berry, and then plunge the berry into a dense web. Caterpillars live no more than 1 month.
With the onset of cold weather, the moth on the currant goes down, prepares a place for itself in the fallen leaves. Or it buries itself in the upper soil layer, approximately to a depth of 4 cm. And it lives all winter right under the currant bush. Butterflies emerge from pupae before flower buds emerge.
After a week, the butterflies begin to lay eggs in the newly opened flowers. If a moth has settled on a currant, then this can be understood by the following signs:
- A spider web appeared, which twisted the branches. And also without any damage to the berries.
- The berries began to change their color.
- The fruit has side holes through which the cobweb passes.
- If you use a magnifying glass, you can see the presence of caterpillars.
If at least one of the above signs takes place, then various measures must be taken to rid the currants of this pest.
What is the danger of moths for currants?
What does a moth look like on a currant
The danger of the presence of moths on currants comes down to the fact that the caterpillars of this insect are very voracious. Insects eat all the pulp and seeds of the currant. They move from one berry to another, leaving behind a cobweb, which rolls off the infected part of the bush.
Caterpillars create a cocoon that contains up to 12 berries, which later begin to rot and gradually dry out. Most often, in the very center of the cocoon, in the largest berry in size, you can find the moth itself.
If you do not begin to take specific measures in time to get rid of the currant moth. It will already be impossible to remedy the situation. After all, one insect can drink the juice of about 10-12 berries. If there are many such insects on one bush, then about 80% of the berries will simply be destroyed.
Currant fire: how to fight?
What does a moth look like on a currant
Most often, the moth can be found on red currants, it stares at black ones less often. To combat the fire, summer residents have resorted to using various measures. The difference in effectiveness depends on how much the bush has already been damaged, how quickly you started fighting insects
Chemical... Chemicals are much more effective in fighting such a pest as currant moths than folk remedies. They also help get rid of the insect faster.If the berries have already appeared, then it will already be unsafe to use chemicals.
Therefore, it is necessary to apply chemicals in early spring, before flowering. And also after harvest, before the onset of the winter period. Due to the fact that chemical preparations contain toxic elements in their composition, they must be used with extreme caution. And also not during the vegetative period of the plant.
It is possible to carry out treatment with chemicals only 1 time. This will be enough to keep the bushes safe. If the weather conditions are favorable, the effect of the application will last for 14-15 days.
Thanks to modern technologies, it is possible to use drugs that are of biological origin and do not harm either plants or the surrounding nature.
Biological... Biological means can also be connected to the fight against moths on currants. Namely: other insects, fungi and viruses can be of great help in the fight against moth and protect the crop from a harmful insect. There is no harm in using this method.
On the contrary, in some cases, the benefits of biological methods are much greater than if you use chemicals. So, in particular, pink muscardine begins to appear after it rains abundantly. It has a detrimental effect on moth caterpillars.
Also, tahini flies and insects such as ichneumons work well against moths on currants. At a time when the moth begins to lay its eggs, it would be a good option to populate the currant bushes with trichograms.
They have a destructive effect on the surface of the shells and adhere to the caterpillars in the newborn state. At the same time, the latter begins to become infected. Ground beetles are also enemies of moths on currants.
These agents can be sprayed or poured under the root. This treatment can be carried out once every 7 days. As folk remedies, the following are good:
- Pyrethrum. This is a chamomile variety that comes in dry powder form. It must be sprayed with a fine sieve on the surface of the currants, as well as the soil that is next to the bush. To improve the effect, you can add road dust to the powder.
- It is necessary to prepare an infusion of pharmacy chamomile. To do this, take it in an amount of 50 g and dissolve it in 5 liters of water. Then cover the container and wrap it in a towel. At the beginning of the flowering of the bush, you need to water the currants with such an infusion (in a cooled form).
- It is also a good idea to make it with mustard. It is necessary to take dry mustard powder (50 g) and dilute in 5 liters of water. Let it brew for 3 days. You can take a dry powder and spray it over the currant bush. The fruits become powdery and unsuitable for insects to eat.
- Prepare tobacco-wormwood tincture. To do this, you need to mix the tobacco powder wormwood herb. Dilute 200 g of the mixture in 5 liters of warm water, let it brew for 2 days. Dilute with water so that you get 10 liters of the finished mixture. Then, in order for the mixture to better adhere to the plant, add grated laundry soap (40 g).
- In powder form, wood ash can be sprayed over a bush. In order to carry out foliar feeding, you need to take 1/3 of the ash bucket, fill it with 2/3 water. Mix everything well and leave for 3 days. Then strain the mixture and add grated laundry soap (30 g).
- Coniferous concentrate application. To do this, take 4 tbsp. l. means, dilute it in 1 bucket of water, mix everything thoroughly. This treatment can be done throughout the season.
- Soda solution.It is best to carry out all treatments in the evening. After all, moths prefer a nocturnal lifestyle.
Currant care
Currant fire: how to fight?
If the shrub is weak and damaged, then it is the first target for various pests. Therefore, in order to avoid meeting with them, it is necessary to properly care for the plant. Certain actions will also allow you to avoid acquaintance with this pest.
- If, before the beginning of the winter season, you dig the soil, then the caterpillars that dig into the ground for the winter time, during the digging, together with the earth, fall upstairs. Which makes it impossible for them to survive the winter frosts. It is necessary to dig up to a depth of 5 cm so as not to damage the root system of the bush.
- Pupae of the moth, as a shelter from winter frosts, choose places near the trunk. To prevent the appearance of moths in summer, with the onset of autumn, it is necessary to huddle the soil. To do this, around September-October, the soil must be well loosened and covered with a slide about 10 cm high.
When spring comes, the pupae will become butterflies that cannot get out from under such a layer of earth, and also lay eggs.
- It would also be nice to mulch the soil in the spring. To do this, you need to take compost or peat (about 10 cm) and add it at a distance of 40 cm from the trunk. Such a measure will also block the exit of the fire from the ground.
- If you noticed the appearance of the moth in time, and it did not have time to cause severe harm to the berries, then you can simply collect those that have already been damaged. This way you will be able to keep the fruit intact.
Which method to choose depends only on the summer resident himself. Each of them will bring good results.
Red currant fire - measures to combat it
In order to properly fight the moth, you need to understand that the currant has 2 development cycles that can affect the fight against the moth on the currant.
1. Before flowering.
In the fight against moths, the treatment of the bush with ordinary boiling water showed itself well. Also, this procedure has a good firming effect. The branches of the bush are best tied. This treatment should be carried out before the first buds appear on the bush (the bush should be at rest).
After a week, you can treat the plant with special tools. Iskra-M or Kinmiks will work well.
2. After the end of flowering.
In order to process currant bushes during the period when development takes place and the caterpillars are in the ovaries, you can use some special preparations: Tiovit jet, Kilzar. These drugs are especially popular among many summer residents.
After treatment with these drugs, you must wait about 20 days. And only after that you can pick berries and eat them, after having rinsed well under water.
Currant fire: preventive measures
Currant fire: how to fight?
Also, the fight against currant moths must be carried out on the basis of knowledge that is associated with the peculiarities of the life of the moths. If the summer is very hot, she simply may not have time to bury herself in the ground. And, therefore, it will simply perish. Of course, the weather conditions do not depend on the person, but there are some measures that will help protect the currants from moth attacks.
It is necessary to regularly inspect the currants in order to notice the appearance of the moth in time and remove the infected berries. It is also required to constantly clean the bushes. It is also necessary to inspect those plants that grow next to the currants, whether there is any infection on them.
For example, the moth loves to feast on raspberries and gooseberries. Therefore, if you have them on the site, then they must be regularly inspected.
Moth is a particular danger to currant bushes. It is better to prevent its occurrence in advance. You just need to be attentive to the bush, inspect it.
If, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid the appearance of the pest on the plant, then it is better to use biological or folk remedies. Since chemicals can affect both the bush itself and the environment as a whole.
It is better to use them only in the most extreme case, when the area of infection of the currant with a moth is already very large.
