Aphids on cherries: how to get rid of

The article describes such a problem as aphids on cherries: how to get rid of chemical and folk remedies. How to recognize prevention measures.

It just so happened historically that by growing delicious berries, juicy vegetables or beautiful flowers, we ourselves unwittingly provide many harmful insects with food. Damaging leaves and stems, gnawing at the roots, feeding on plant sap, they can significantly affect the yield and cause the death of flowers, vegetables, bushes and trees. Aphids on cherries, despite their small size, are very dangerous, since by sucking out the juice, insects completely dehydrate the plant, it withers and may die. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly inspect the trees for the appearance of aphids on the cherry and, if found, immediately begin the fight. Watching the stunningly beautiful flowering of cherry trees, you were anticipating cherry compotes and jam, and then you noticed that all the foliage is covered with a sticky bloom, begins to curl and wither. So what to do in such a situation?

Aphids on cherries: why does it appear and how to recognize it?

Black aphid on cherry: pest photo

There are thousands of species of aphids and they vary in shape, color, size and preference. On cherry trees, the most common black aphids are called cherry aphids. Usually, aphids on cherries feed on the juice of any part of the plant, that is, they can be located on the stems, leaves and roots, but in the case of trees, these are always leaves, since you cannot reach the roots, and the trunk cannot be pierced.

Aphids on cherries always appear unexpectedly, it is very difficult to notice them at the initial stage, since insects are located on the lower part of the foliage, and they can only be detected upon careful examination. Most often, we pay attention to this problem when the cherry is already damaged, insects are actively sucking the juice, and the leaves begin to curl into nodules from lack of moisture. Ants run along the trunk of the tree, delivering new aphids to the juicy leaves, the aphids, in turn, multiply rapidly, the population increases very quickly. The sticky liquid that covers the leaves is just honeydew, for the sake of which ants graze and protect aphids. The tree weakens, it turns out that it suffers not only from insects, but also becomes more susceptible to diseases and fungal infections. Therefore, if you are going to fight aphids on cherries, then you will also have to fight ants.

Aphids on cherries: how to treat and how to get rid of?

Black aphid on cherry: pest photo

Any specialty store will offer you a variety of tools to spray trees and defeat aphids on cherries, but this is not where you start. No matter how you strive to get rid of aphids, as long as there are ants in the summer cottage, there will be no result. First of all, you need to survey the territory, identify and destroy all the anthills. You can use insecticides or alternative methods for this (boiling water, turpentine, vegetable oil, garlic) there are many options, the choice is yours. But if you do not touch the ants, but destroy only the aphids on the tree, then tomorrow they will bring and plant new pests on the young shoots.

Apply a sticky belt to the tree trunk, this is a very effective remedy for black aphids on cherries, which without causing any harm to the plant allows you to cope not only with ants and aphids, but also with a lot of other pests. Remember to apply a new sticky layer regularly and the pest problem will be partially solved.

Chemicals.

Before you start choosing a chemical for aphids on cherries, you need to decide if you are ready to use the chemicals. When growing a crop, we first of all care about its environmental friendliness, so the decision is not easy. If the aphid population is so large that it can be dealt with only with the help of insecticides, then be very careful and careful: work only with gloves, carefully follow the instructions, wash well the dishes with which the spraying was carried out.

Choose the right time to treat aphids on cherries - it should be dry, calm weather, and make sure that the composition falls on the back of the foliage. "Iskra" has the best recommendations, which quickly copes with cherry aphids, and also contains potassium in its composition, which will help the tree to recover. Experienced gardeners also recommend Fitoverm, which does not harm the environment, and also does not accumulate in the ovaries.

Do not forget, that the treatment with chemicals from aphids on cherries can be carried out before the buds have blossomed, or after the harvest. The rest of the time, it is better to deal with pests using other methods.

Folk remedies.

Often, black aphids on cherries appear when the berries are already ripe, so the use of chemicals is impossible. Then folk recipes come to the rescue, long and repeatedly tested, effective and not harming trees. The simplest remedy will be a shower with a strong stream of water, which will perfectly wash away the aphids, but the truth is, without a sticky belt on the trunk and spraying with one of the folk remedies, insects may again appear on the tree the next day. Therefore, folk methods are best used in combination.

All aphid spray solutions on cherries are prepared with or with the addition of soap. In the absence of laundry or tar soap, you can use any other, but still tar is considered the most effective. As additional active ingredients, you can add wood ash, baking soda, tobacco or infusion of garlic, tomato tops, wormwood. Treatments with a soap composition with the addition of any component should be carried out in three steps with a difference of several days, and then it can be carried out as a preventive measure every couple of weeks.

If you plant spicy herbs, garlic or fragrant velvet in the tree trunk circle, then there is a high probability that ants and aphids will bypass this tree.

Aphids on cherries: how to care for prevention

Everyone knows that it is better to prevent a problem than to solve it, if possible. Therefore, with proper tree care and the timely implementation of all preventive work, the likelihood of aphids appearing on cherries can be reduced to almost zero.

• First, get into an active ant fight if you want to ultimately defeat the aphids. Continually identify and destroy anthills, the choice of method is yours, but I assure you that ants can be dealt with without the use of chemicals.
• Secondly, in the fall, destroy all plant debris - foliage, weeds, cut stems of flowers and shrubs. It is they who are the winter habitat of pests and the source of all kinds of fungal infections.
• Thirdly, protect trees for the winter, and in the spring, whitewash the trunks in a timely manner and install sticky belts. Do not overdo it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers - excess greenery will attract aphids and other harmful insects sucking and gnawing leaves.

And finally, despite all the measures taken, regularly inspect the plants, this is the only way you can notice the initial appearance of aphids on the cherry and start the battle while the advantage is still on your side.

Aphids on cherries: how to get rid of?