Shield on currants: how to deal with chemical and folk remedies

One of the currant pests is a scale insect. She lives by eating the juice of leaves, shoots. The plant becomes infected through the soil, planting material, wind. To save fruit bushes and berry crops, you need to know how to deal with the scab on the currant, and not only on it.

External description of the parasite and features of life activity

More than 2.5 thousand species from the family of scale insects are known. The parasite is so small, no more than 4 mm, that it is difficult to see it without a magnifying glass.

There is a wax shell on the body of the insect. It consists of larval skins and a secretion gland.The shape of the scale insects is different: round, oval, pear-shaped. The color determines the type, sex of the insect: pure white, gray, bright yellow, lemon. A distinctive feature is immobility, since the scale insect has no wings and legs (in females).

The body of the female is shorter than that of the male, no more than 2 mm. It hides under a chitinous shield and takes on the color of a plant. Female individuals change not only color, but body shape and length.

The body of the male is oval, elongated. The color varies from gray to yellowish-dark, almost black. A transverse dark stripe crosses its carapace. The male has legs and wings, unlike the female. It moves and flies short distances. His red eyes are visible under the magnifying glass.

Male die after mating.

The larvae of scale insects go through more than one stage of development.

1. Insects - "tramps". Just born, with a gray oblong body. Without a magnifying glass, the gardener will not see them. During this time, scale insect larvae need to eat well, so their mouth sometimes exceeds their body length.
2. Nymphs. intermediate form. The body becomes oval, its color darkens, a shield develops.

A fertilized female lives for about 3 months, feeds on plant sap, then lays eggs (up to 600 pieces). In females, the end of the shell is rounded, elongated, where she carries eggs. After laying eggs, the female dries out, and the eggs do not die in any weather conditions, even harsh ones.

Classification of insects

There are many varieties of scale insects. They cause great harm to currant bushes and fruit trees.

Willow scale insect loves currants, gooseberries. There is so much of it that the bush seems to be covered with a scab. Shield aphids do not disdain other trees:

• poplar;
• willow;
• aspen.

Males are bright red in color from females.

On the body of the female is a whitish-gray pear-shaped shield. In the male, it is elongated, it has 2 grooves, membranous wings, legs, filiform whiskers.

Red stray larvae quickly spread through the currant branches. Having picked up a convenient place for food, they pierce the shoot with their mouth, suck the juice. Then the larva does not move, develops, molts 2 times, does not shed its skin. They form the protection of the body - the shield. A mature individual continues to live, feed under the shield, and the male throws it off, under it - wings.

Pillow or false birch shield affects many plants, among them:

• red and blackcurrant;
• gooseberry;
• rowanberry;
• cherry;
• hazel;
• birch.

Yellow-green female with an oval, slightly convex body, no more than 5 mm long. She has a white egg sack on her back. Parasites attach to leaves, shoots, fruits, causing the plant to dry out and die.

Pests of garden trees, shrubs:

• purple shield aphid;
• pear scale insects: yellow and red;
• comma.
• euskeleton.

There are many other types.

Where scale insects winter

Many harmful insects, including scale insects, hibernate in the bark of trees. The larvae hide both outside and under the bark, in cracks.

The female lays red oval eggs that overwinter under the shield of the dried female. Up to a hundred future parasites live under each shell. At the beginning of summer, red tramps crawl along the currant, attach to the shoots, trunk, and leaves. After 2 molts, they become adult females that are able to lay new eggs.

The cushion hibernates on the branches, at the base of the bushes, under the skin. The eggs of the comma-shaped scale insects hide in cracks in the bark, under the shell of females that have dried up in autumn.

Pest of plums, gooseberries, currants, white acacia, maple - acacia false shield hides red-orange larvae on branches for the winter, from the inside, in places of branching, near the buds. The egg laying is like flour or white powder.

Mature scale insects do not leave the winter place, settle on the trunk or branches of the plant, feed on its juices. Even before the beginning of summer, preoccupied males think about offspring. When mating, they throw off the shell-protection and die. During the period of transformation into nymphs, a chitinous shield is formed on the body of the larvae. After its appearance, the parasite is not afraid of any drug.

Causes of pests

The defeat of garden trees, fruit bushes with scale insects will lead not only to crop loss, but also to the death of plants. Dangerous parasites will eat more than one shrub in a few years.

Reason for appearance:

• buying infected seedlings;
• contaminated soil;
• rain, wind, animals moving around the garden.

When plants are damaged by scale insects in nurseries, quarantine is imposed and the sale of seedlings is prohibited.

To avoid buying an infected bush or seedling, it is advisable to purchase them from trusted manufacturers, nurseries.

How to recognize a pest: external signs of damage to currants

Insect pests can be overlooked. It is advisable to inspect the currant bushes with a magnifying glass. This is how the larvae hiding at the base of the bushes are visible, traces of their vital activity:

1. In the initial stage of infection, brown spots appear on the foliage. They increase in size, the leaves curl, dry.
2. The surface of the leaves and shoots is sticky, shiny, as if smeared with honey. When these signs appear, it is too late to fight the shield aphid, because it is covered with a protective shield.
3. On the trunks, branches, shoots, a gray coating appears due to a lack of nutritious juices. Growth and development of plants are slowed down, leaves become smaller, dry up.
4. The process of photosynthesis stops, the plant "does not breathe".
5. Dry leaves fall prematurely, bark cracks.

What damage does currant plantings

Scale insects, eating the juice of a currant bush, do not leave nutrients for the growth and development of the plant itself. Photosynthesis stops. Leaves dry up, shoots dry up, the plant weakens, sticky insect secretions pollute the bush.

First part of the plant is damaged. If measures are not taken to combat the parasite, this will lead to the death of the currant bush, and the pest will choose a new habitat - another currant or gooseberry bush. In 2-3 years, the scale insect will destroy more than a dozen fruit bushes, if you do not fight it.

How to deal with insects

To save the currant crop, to prevent the bushes from dying, it is necessary to take urgent measures to combat the parasite. It is advisable not to miss the moment when the shield is vulnerable (without a shield), it is easier to destroy it. Activities are held in the complex. They use all methods of struggle.

Agricultural practices

The importance of agrotechnical methods in the fight against parasites cannot be overestimated, since correct, timely agricultural practices reduce the risk of disease and death of plants.

The use of agrotechnical measures in a complex creates conditions for the he althy development of useful plants, the death of harmful insects and weeds:

1. Hilling up fruit bushes is one of the main preventive measures against scale insects. In late autumn, the bushes are prepared for wintering, they are spudded, and in early spring, earthen heaps are leveled.
2. When a scale insect is found on currant bushes, the affected plants are separated from he althy ones. To this end, they are covered with polyethylene.
3. Carefully inspect the remaining bushes. After being treated with chemistry.

Chemical preparations are powerless against mature insects, as the bodies of parasites are protected by a shield.

They use the old-fashioned way - they assemble the shield manually, using a toothbrush, sponge, cotton pad for convenience.

Prepare a strong soap solution. Wet the sponge, wipe all the affected parts of the plant: leaves, shoots.

Chemicals

Without the use of chemicals, it is impossible to defeat the scale insect. The stores offer a wide range of drugs against shield aphids. The most effective, according to gardeners:

• Apache;
• Colorado;
• Aktara;
• "Tanrek";
• Mospilan.

How to use the product is indicated in the instructions or on the package. Currant bushes are treated at least three times during the summer period. Hormonal and organophosphate agents are used against the pillowcase: Iskra, Actellik, Alatar, Admiral and others.

The manufacturer does not recommend using these drugs for people prone to allergies, as they contain active substances that can cause an allergic reaction.

Folk remedies

In the fight against parasites in the garden, all means are good. Not superfluous will be folk, which were not unsuccessfully used by grandparents:

1. Soap and oil solution. Take 1 part of laundry soap, 3 parts of vegetable oil. Leaves, shoots of a currant bush are thoroughly washed with a solution. After 10 hours, the bushes are washed off with water. Currants are treated with a soap-oil solution 2-3 times with a weekly interval.
2. Garlic tincture. 12 cloves of garlic are crushed, poured with a glass of water, insisted for 48 hours. The solution is filtered through gauze, wiped or sprayed with currants.
3. Pepper tincture. It is prepared from 50 g of pepper. Pour pepper with two glasses of water, boil. The solution is cooled, insisted for a day. Then 10 ml of tincture is added to 1 liter of water, 5 g of soap is grated there. Currant bushes are sprayed with liquid.
4. Tobacco tincture. 85 g of tobacco is poured into 1 liter of boiling water. Infuse for 24 hours, filter, add 1 liter of water. Currant bushes are washed or sprayed with a solution.

Recipes from the people are safe, but less effective. If the results are not visible, chemistry is indispensable.

Prevention

Attack of scale insects is easier to prevent than to get rid of parasites:

1. Spraying currant bushes with "Karbofos" before flowering is a prophylactic to prevent scale attacks. The drug does not destroy the eggs, but mature insects can no longer be on the treated bushes.
2. Insecticidal "Karbofos" is valid for two weeks, the pests will not be able to feed on the juice of the plant at this time, they will die.
3. Currant bushes are sprayed with tincture on needles and peel of citrus fruits. The stronger the tincture, the more effective the spray.

Prevention activities are carried out in the complex:

• timely watering;
• fertilization;
• preparing for winter;
• crown thinning;
• pruning diseased, broken branches.

Proper care of currants will not allow scale insects into the garden.

Sprinkle currants in the morning or after sunset. And no matter what drugs: chemistry or folk tinctures.

Choosing resistant varieties of currants

The complex of measures to combat scale insects includes the selection of seedlings that are resistant to parasites. Viable, he althy currant bushes are less likely to be attacked by pests.

Blackcurrant	whitecurrant
Nightingale night	Ural beauty
Pleasing	Lights of the Urals
Orlovskaya Serenade	Beloved
Black Pearl	Scarlet Dawn
Blackie	Red Cross
In memory of Potapenko	Cherry Viksne
Belarusian sweet	Ilyinka
In memory of Michurin	White Versailles
Naughty	White Fairy
	Snezhana
	Proteins

Frequency of treatments

Currants begin to be processed in early spring. Scale insect larvae are born, actively grow, develop. At the end of spring, males are looking for a female, flying around the garden.

Spring months are an important stage in the fight against parasites:

1. First time treated before the buds swell.
2. Before flowering, in the bud formation phase.
3. When the currant bush fades.
4. Use folk methods of processing with a period of time - 7-10 days (2-3 times).

Natural enemies

The scale insect has dangerous enemies. She is tasty and their main delicacy:

• prosp altella;
• ladybug.

Prosp altella, although it feeds on shield aphids, itself harms fruit trees, such as pear, apple.

Ladybug kills up to 75% of garden scale insects. About 700 shield aphids make up the menu of one ladybug per season.

Birds: blue tit, great tit do not disdain to eat scale insects.

Shchitovka - a parasite that can cause serious damage to crops and garden plantings. The main thing in the fight against insects is not to waste time. Competent care of the garden, pest control guarantee a generous harvest.

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