White aphid on grapes: how to fight and how to process to get rid of

Uninvited guests on garden pets appear for various reasons: they are transferred from other plants, they can move from a neighboring site or multiply due to the carelessness of the owner. What is white aphid in the vineyard and how to deal with it is the topic of today's discussion.

Causes of midges

There are several probable reasons that insect pests settled on the grape bush. Sometimes this is due to ordinary ants that use aphids like cows, specifically breeding them for sweet milk.

There are 2 types of grape pests:

• living from above, in the above-ground part;
• basal.

There is also an "intermediate" stage linking both species. The source of aphids on grapes is the wind, a mud stream, sometimes these insects come by themselves, attracted by an abundance of food. They reproduce quickly enough, and if the aphid colony is not destroyed in time, the plants may die. Detection is seriously hampered by the fact that adult insects are nondescript, small - rarely exceed 1.5 millimeters in length.

What types of aphids start on grapes

3 types of aphids parasitize on grape bushes: root (underground), winged or gallic and sexual. They differ in size, appearance, habitat and life cycle.

Root aphid grows and feeds all its life below, destroying the underground part of the bush. Gallic actively moves (sometimes through the air), lays eggs on the leaves (swellings of a specific form are formed - galls). The sexual form consists of males and females, its task is to conduct the only mating in its short life in order to carry out an egg for wintering.

Root variety

Underground insects do not appear on the surface, affecting the roots and the lower part of the stem. All of them are females, greenish-yellow or brown (not black) in color. The back is decorated with a pattern of symmetrical dots, a proboscis is located on the head. Aphids have 3 pairs of limbs and 2 tentacles.

She breeds by laying eggs. If the female managed to overwinter, she lays about 800 eggs.

Later generations are not so prolific. Therefore, when the first masonry is destroyed (by digging the root zone), the owner can protect the plant, keep its root system intact.

Winged

The form is recognized by the "graceful" physique and the orange tint of the outer chitinous shells. They live above the ground, have rudimentary wings located above the upper (thoracic) pair of legs. They are called "nymphs", come out of the underground variety.

Getting to the surface, the aphid transfers 3-4 molts and becomes winged. The length of the body is 1 mm, the color is yellowish, with light greens or buffy. The limbs and tentacles are oblong, the wings are short, with their help "nymphs2" successfully move over short distances. This "asexual" variety lays its eggs on the underside of leaves or on the surface of the bark.

The gall aphid got its name for the characteristic swellings that form on the leaf plates, resembling a nut (galls), where it places the masonry.In the process of growth, insects actively feed, suck the juice from the greenery, destroying the grape bush. Some of the hatched larvae go down to the root: this is how the development cycle closes.

Genital

Gall aphids lay eggs of 2 sizes: large ones carry females, small ones - males. This is how the sexual form appears. Her only task is to mate, so that the female can lay a special, "winter" egg in a deep crack in the bark.

Signs of creeper infection

Aphids or phylloxera are considered one of the most dangerous enemies of grapes. It ends up on a bush, transported with wind, soil, water, or from other plants (seedlings). The complexity of detection lies in the fact that the insect has a complex life cycle and more than one form of development, moves up and down the bush, destroying leaves and roots.

The underground species is difficult to identify because of its "ste alth", the small size of aphids.The gall form leaves traces on the leaves - this is what it parasitizes on. Foliage wilts, covered with growths. In general, any unnatural, oppressed state of the vineyard is an occasion to think about the presence of unwanted "guests".

How aphids spread

Introduced with planting material, soil, "underground inhabitants" begin to reproduce: asexual females lay their eggs in the roots so that the hatched larvae can suck the juice out of them, gnaw through passages and parasitize on the plant. Part of the juveniles rises to the surface, so there is a transition to the 2nd stage, gallic.

It is possible that the life cycle goes in a different direction: aphids descend underground to continue breeding there. In any case, without taking effective preventive measures, the plant may die.

What is dangerous insect invasion

If aphids appeared on the grapes, then this will not lead to anything good. By itself, an unpleasant guest will not disappear, and if it leaves, it will only completely destroy the entire bush and neighboring plants. The alternation of life cycles (active in spring-summer and hibernation in winter) makes it difficult to timely identify the focus of the distribution of phylloxera.

It can be underground, in the form of adult insects or larvae, on foliage (in clutch) or winged form, under the bark (in eggs laid for the winter). A voracious pest, despite its miniature size, can cause significant damage to a grape plantation.

Treatment chemicals

To get rid of aphids, all methods are good, except for extreme ones - cutting down and destroying the vineyard. Gardeners apply pesticides by spraying the roots and upper part of the plant, pouring water, treating with improvised means (soap solution).

Effective digging of the root zone, partial replacement of the soil with sandy soil (aphids do not like this). Not bad help pruning, removal of fragments damaged by the pest, followed by burning in an open place, remote from the bush.

Fastak

A drug from the group of pyrethroids that affects the gastrointestinal tract of the parasite. It is not washed off by precipitation after watering. Harmless to pollinators (bees), gives effect immediately after detection and treatment of aphid clusters. Compatible with other fungicides, insecticides.

Phozalon

Produced in powder form, has a specific smell of garlic. Differs in long action, it is applied at a temperature within 13-15 ºС, if other methods do not help.

Aktellik

Chemical of organophosphorus origin. Grapes are processed with the prepared aqueous solution. Helps with recurrence of repeated lesions. The disadvantage is toxicity to all insects, birds, animals.

Kinmiks

Effectively affects adult aphids and young growth (larvae). Apply during the growing season, once or twice.

Mechanical Methods

These include collecting damaged leaves (eaten or with laying eggs), loosening the root zone. In combination with other methods, it can help to achieve a significant effect.

Biological agents

To combat aphids, natural methods are used, such as planting peppermint near a vineyard. The tart smell repels the parasite and protects the shrub from damage.

Folk remedies

There are situations when the use of chemicals is undesirable or unacceptable, then folk methods will help. For them, “decoctions” and “tinctures” prepared according to amateur recipes are used, with which the affected plant is watered.

Soap solution

For 500 milliliters of water, take 2 teaspoons of a liquid soapy solution, mix, add a tablespoon of sunflower oil. Spray leaves, stem, ground.

Tomato leaves

Fragrant nightshade leaves are not to the liking of the garden pest. 500 grams of tomato tops are poured with 10 liters of water, insisted for 24 hours. You can substitute potato leaves. It is considered effective against aphids, a remedy devoid of toxic side effects.

Ash

Harmless to animals and bees, dangerous to aphids. Diluted in water; the resulting solution is treated with the aerial part, the roots are watered.

Proper care to prevent parasites

The secret of proper care lies in the sanitation of seedlings before planting: most often aphids settle there.Insecticide solutions are used (soaking). If the grapes are damaged, it is allowed to use one of the methods: flooding with water for a long period (14-21 days), mechanical removal of surface roots with traces of damage, deep excavation with replacement with a sand mixture.

Seasonal preventive measures

At the beginning of the growing season, it is useful to spray the grapes with chemicals, and in the fall, loosen the root zone and trim the leaves with traces of the presence of the pest.

Spring

If the lesion is detected at the initial stage, it will be enough to treat with an insecticide, mechanically remove damaged leaves, followed by burning, re-spraying after a few days.

Summer

In July, if the symptoms of the “disease” have not disappeared, they are re-treated with pesticides. Experienced gardeners know that phylloxera is not so easy to breed, so you will need to spray the grapes often and regularly.

Autumn

After harvesting, remove damaged fragments of foliage, shoots, loosen the soil, cut off superficial roots - all foci where aphids could gain a foothold, lay eggs or hide for wintering. The more larvae and adult insects die, unable to hide from the cold, the better the renewed plant will feel in the spring.

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