How to deal with fire in the currant - the most effective means

There is a place for currant bushes in almost every area. Only here it is not always possible to enjoy berries. The reason is the numerous "parasites" - insects that also claim to be harvested. One of the most dangerous and malicious pests of berry crops is a moth. An adult directly does not cause much harm, but her offspring can cause serious damage and even leave them completely without berries. Therefore, the question of how to deal with fire in currants is relevant for all gardeners in whose areas berry bushes grow.

Pest Summary

Before proceeding with the destruction of the insect, you should make sure that it damages the currant fireboxrather than diseases or other insects: spider mites, aphids, moths. Recognize the pest will help the description and photo.

Appearance

From a large family of fireplugs, currants are occupied gooseberry. In addition to bushes of red and black currants, the insect is found on gooseberries, occasionally in raspberries. Distributed in the middle and northern strip.

What does an adult butterfly look like:

• wingspan varies in the range of 2-3 cm;
• body length 15 mm;
• short threadlike antennae;
• front wings of a nondescript gray color with a brown or dark shade;
• hind wings of lighter color and bordered by dark fringe;
• a small head with a slightly convex forehead is covered with scales that form a kind of cone.

On a note! In adult mumps, sexual dimorphism is pronounced. You can distinguish a female by a small ovipositor.

Larvae are 16-foot caterpillars with a length of 8 to 14 mm. In newborns, the color is pale yellow, green, which, as it grows older, acquires saturation and gray shades. The head is black. On the sides you can see blurry annular spots.

Brown pupae 9 mm long with 8 curved spikes on the cremaster.

Development Phases and Reproduction

Fighting the fire on the currant will be much more effective if you know the nuances of the development of the insect. Insects overwinter in the pupal stage in spider web cocoons in the upper soil layers. Years of butterflies coincides with the beginning of the budding of gooseberries and currants.

On a note! The mass departure of moth butterflies is observed in the second decade of May. Activity is shown only in the twilight, evening time.

A week after departure, adults begin mating. On the currant, the moth lays eggs in flowers, occasionally under the lower part of young leaves. The female approaches the process with all responsibility and places the embryos one at a time. In her life she is able to give life to 200 individuals.

After 7-10 days, from tiny white eggs, the size of which does not exceed 0.7 mm, voracious caterpillars appear. They braid young berries with a spider web, penetrate inside and eat out the flesh and seeds. Wrecking of larvae lasts almost a month. Having collected the required amount of nutrients, they go into the soil for pupation. One generation of offspring is possible per year.

On a note! Pupae can be arranged in groups in the soil or singly. But they are always in close proximity to the forage bush.

Signs of defeat and harm

The gardener should be alert for the following symptoms:

• the appearance of the web on the bushes, a spider web can be braided several berries at once, among which there will be fresh, shrunken, wilted;
• a hole is visible on the berry, from which a web stretches to nearby fruits;
• upon careful inspection of the berry, the culprit of the web on the currant is also noticeable - the green caterpillar of the moth;
• the appearance of dried fruits on the bushes, the color change of the berries.

The harmfulness of gluttonous insects can reach impressive proportions. Crop losses range from 50 to 90%.

Interesting! Blackcurrant larvae damage about 8-10 berries. On bushes with red damage is estimated at 15 berries, and on the gooseberry you can not count from 2 to 6 fruits. And this is only harm from one individual!

Ways to neutralize the pest

How to deal with the ognevka on currants, gooseberries, worries every gardener who is engaged in the cultivation of these useful crops. It is possible to defeat butterflies and their offspring if agricultural, preventive measures, and, if necessary, chemical agents are involved.
How to protect currant bushes from a moth:

• To carry out deep digging of the soil in the autumn period. Thus, it is possible to raise pupae to the surface of the earth, and they die under unfavorable climatic winter conditions or from overdrying, which is most critical for them.
• In late autumn, deep hilling of gooseberry and currant bushes to a height of 10 cm is carried out. After flowering in spring, plants should be re-bent. A high earthen barrier prevents butterflies from flying out of the ground after pupation.
• For the same purpose, mulch the soil near the bushes by means of peat or compost. The layer of organic components does not allow individuals to get out and significantly reduces their numbers.
• In the case when the moth is spotted on the currant bushes, damaged clusters, berries are cut and disposed of. You can destroy the pest if you pour boiling water over it.
• Regular pruning of bushes, thinning out thickets in the berry bushes, fertilizing with fertilizers - such measures contribute not only to the growth and full development of shrubs, but also are a good preventive measure against ognevka and other pests. In a well-lit, blown place insects start much less often than in dense thickets.

Folk recipes

To cope with the invasion of the fires on the currant, folk remedies will help:

• On the 5-6th day after the beginning of flowering, the plants are treated with a pharmacy chamomile. To prepare the solution, 50 g of dried flowers are poured with 5 liters of hot water and insisted for 2-3 hours until completely cooled.
• To combat fire in the currant, a dry version of Dalmatian chamomile is also used - pyrethrum powder. The substance is dusted with bushes or sprayed with special bags, sieves. The procedure is repeated at intervals of 5-6 days.
  

  On a note! In some recipes, the powder is mixed with road dust. However, there is not a single weighty argument that would justify the use of the original component.

• Ash is a universal folk remedy for a number of pests. It is used both in dry form and for the preparation of infusions. Processing is carried out during the ripening period of berries. The third part of the 10-liter bucket is filled with wood ash. The remaining volume is filled with water and insisted in a dark place for 2-3 days.
• Mustard powder is used in the same way. Dry matter is sprayed onto bushes and aisles. The solution is prepared from 50 g of powder and 5 liters of boiling water. Insist not less than 48 hours. Then they are thoroughly stirred and used for processing currant bushes when the berries ripen.
• During flowering, plants are treated with tincture of wormwood or tobacco to scare butterflies out of the fire. 200 g of tobacco dust are mixed with 5 liters of water.Withstand 2 days and add another 5 liters of liquid. To keep the product on the leaves, add 20 g of soap. It is best to use laundry or tar soap. They do not contain fragrances and prevent the development of fungi, the appearance of aphids.
  

  On a note! It is advisable to carry out the treatment of currant bushes against adult moths in the evening, when the peak of activity of flying individuals begins.

• Coniferous concentrate well established itself for the fight against the fire in the currant. It is used throughout the flowering phase at intervals of 6-7 days. The drug is a yellow powder. To scare away butterflies, a solution is prepared at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. To destroy the tracks, the powder concentration is doubled.
• Light traps are used to reduce the number of adults during the summer. The cardboard is painted in bright yellow color, the adhesive composition is applied to it and a primitive design is placed near the bushes or under the lights.
• The use of elderberry against fire in the currant can also bring results. Branches with elderberry inflorescences are placed in the center of the bush. Or a solution is prepared for spraying from 10 g of chopped dried elderberry flowers and 1 liter of water. After the mixture is infused for 48 hours, it is filtered and used as directed.

Chemicals

The use and selection of an insecticide to control the fire in the currant is determined by the phase of plant development:

• when early spring, the use of drugs begins before flowering, use Kinmix, Spark M;
• after flowering, "Fufanon", "Actellik", "Karbofos", "Rovikurt" are suitable for spraying the bushes;
• during the development and ripening of berries, only bioseries products can be used: Fitoverm, Lepidocide, Agravertin, Bitoxibacillin, Iskra-bio.