Cluster leaflet of grapes: methods of struggle with folk remedies and preparations

Juicy leaves of garden trees and shrubs, like a magnet, attract various pests. They do not allow the culture to develop normally, and the plant is not happy with the harvest. Insects quickly spread over vast territories, destroying gardens. The grapes are especially affected by the grape leafworm. All methods of struggle may be ineffective, since the butterfly may not be detected in time. She flies not during the day, but at night, breeds voracious offspring that loves berries.

Description of the pest

The grapevine finds the vine wherever it grows - in the middle lane or in the south. Insect-damaged fruits rot in wet weather and dry out in hot weather.

Butterfly and caterpillar appearance

The wingspan of the grapevine does not exceed 2 cm, the front ones are distinguished by variegated colors. Olive feathers alternate:

with brown;
lead;
redheads;
light yellow.

Hindwings have a gray tint with dark edges. The butterfly, whose body length is about 13 mm, lays oblong, almost transparent light eggs with a diameter of slightly more than half a centimeter. The green-brown chrysalis has the same size, which is pointed at the end. In winter, it climbs into cracks in the bark or into the ground near the root of the vine.

A caterpillar up to 10 mm long eats berries, which can have a different shade - gray, olive, light yellow.

Pest life stages

Butterflies leave their hiding place and begin to fly when the air warms up to 14°C. Females live for about 4 days, lay eggs. After a week or 10 days, caterpillars come out, decorated with golden shields in front.

The leaflet itself turns into a chrysalis for the winter, and with the advent of heat it becomes a butterfly again.

The first generation of pests eat buds, petals and ovaries, the second drinks juice from unripe berries, the third damages ripe grapes.

Reproduction

The butterfly flies a little over a month. For 3-4 days that the female lives, she lays up to 160 eggs at a time on shoots, leaves and even buds. One butterfly gives not 1, but 3 generations. The caterpillars, which live and feed for 35 days, entangle vines and berries with cobwebs.Damaged fruits rot completely when it rains.

Butterflies fly from one plant to another, cover all the vineyards in the region. The first generation of parasites appears when the leaves bloom, the second generation is formed from pupae, the third - at the end of July.

Resistant and parasite-prone varieties

Grapes suffer the most from pests, in the berries of which there are many essential oils. Leafworm caterpillars enjoy bunches of French varieties of Pinot Noir, Aligote with pleasure. The grapes of Moldovan selection are less affected by parasites:

Frumoasa Albe - with immunity to major crop pests;
Memory Negrul - a hybrid with dense pulp;
December - medium maturity.

However, these varieties do not have 100% resistance to leafworm either. To reduce the risk of pest infestation, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures.

What contributes to the appearance of the leaflet

Wet and hot weather helps spread the parasite. The butterfly, turning into a chrysalis and hiding in the cracks of the bark, tolerates winter well. When leaves appear, she lays eggs, from which the first generation of caterpillars is formed.

The leaf roller flies from one vine to another plant and covers large areas in a short time, especially in mild weather. The unharvested grass near the bushes, the remains of the stems and the fact that it is difficult to notice the night leafworm contribute to the spread.

What harm does grapes

The butterfly itself and the hatched larvae do not damage the branches, do not touch the fruits. They eat the ovary, buds and berries of the caterpillar. Growers are noticing that they are more likely to infect vines with large, dense bunches that are full of berries.

The pest can destroy up to 80% of the crop.

Signs of insect infestation

The fact that parasites that feed on fruits have appeared on the plant is indicated by a web that entangles shoots and clusters. Caterpillars eat the ovary, green and ripe berries, and the decay products of pests adversely affect the condition of the vine.

What to do

If a cobweb has already formed on the plant, measures will have to be taken against each generation of the grape leafworm. To deal with pests, various methods are used, ranging from setting traps, burning the affected ovary and shoots.

Chemicals

Knowing how to deal with the leaf roller, you can save the crop. Contact and systemic chemicals are used to treat the vine with a significant number of pests.

To destroy a small number of parasites, use:

Aktar and Karbofos;
Aktellik and Landing;
Binom and Alatar.

The preparations "Alfatsin", "Fastak", "Aivenhoe", "Inta-Vir" help to cope with the huge population. Plants are processed at a temperature not exceeding 23 °C.

Biological insecticide control

Chemical preparations are unsafe for human he alth, accumulating in fruits, they release toxins. You can protect the crop from voracious parasites using less harmful biological agents. The processing of grapes with Bitoxibacillin or Lepiodocide is carried out every decade until the leafworm population is completely dead.

Folk remedies

With a small number of parasites, it is worth trying to deal with them in a gentle way. Before the appearance of buds, glass jars are filled with fermented jam, jam, molasses, tied to plants to a height of 1.5 m. Butterflies will flock to the smell.

Sprinkling with tincture of tobacco dust, decoction of wormwood and celandine, potato and tomato tops helps to cope with the leaflet.

Terms and processing rules

When a web appears on grapes, you need to fight with each generation of the parasite. Spray the vine after 2 or 3 days after the decrease in the activity of butterflies. Treatment with folk remedies is carried out before flowering and when the ovary appears. Chemical and biological preparations must be constantly changed, otherwise the leaflet gets used to them.

Ways to prevent reinfection

In order to prevent the appearance of a dangerous pest, when planting grapes, it is necessary to comply with agrotechnical requirements, leave a large distance between the rows, which will provide good lighting and ventilation of the vine.

For prevention purposes:

At the beginning of spring, the trunk and shoots are cleaned of old bark, which must be burned.
After picking the berries, the plants are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.
For the winter, the bushes and the land around them are treated with vitriol - copper or iron.

You need to carefully weed the area from weeds. Chickens, starlings, hedgehogs help fight the leafworm, they eat the larvae.