Onion pests and their control with photo

Pests of onions and the fight against them - this is exactly the first question that puzzles many gardeners who have found small insects in the garden of onions. How to determine the type of pest, and most importantly, how to get rid of it as soon as possible?

What pests affect onions?

Before you start fighting insects that attacked the onion garden, you need to correctly determine the type of pest. It is on whether the identification was made correctly that the processing efficiency depends. What insects love onions?

Onion fly

Amazes culture in the first period of growth. During the mass summer, insects lay their eggs between rows of onions. Under favorable conditions, after a week, worms are born that do not destroy green sprouts, but climb inside the bulbs and begin to eat them. The danger of this insect lies in the fact that only a couple of larvae can kill a plant in a short time. Depending on the location of the region, 2-3 generations of flies are activated during the growing season.

Root mite

Another of the small insects that infect onions during the growing season and storage. Pests breed most actively in warm rainy summers. Female root mites lay about 350 eggs, from which larvae emerge. Adults and young individuals eat juicy scales, as a result of which the turnip turns into dust.Wilted twisting stems, the surface of which is covered with white spots, testify to the attack of unexpected guests.

Onion stem nematode

At the last stage of onion growth, small mealybugs infect. First, the nematode feeds on juicy feathers, and then on the turnips themselves. In plants attacked by a nematode, the feathers lighten and deform. Stems covered with swollen areas quickly wither and die. At the time of the appearance of external signs, the bulb is already badly damaged.

Onion weevil

A distinctive feature of the pest is a long, slightly bent nose. The greatest damage is done to the onion by the larvae hatched from the eggs, which the insect females laid with the advent of spring. If the landing is not immediately processed, the larvae quickly climb inside the feathers and eat them. A sign that the insects have begun vigorous activity is oblong white spots on the surface of the feathers.The bugs are also quite gluttonous, as they suck the juice out of the greenery with the help of their trunk.

Onion Hoverfly

A large bronze-green fly lays eggs that hatch into grey-green larvae that feed on turnip flesh. Most often, the hoverfly lays its eggs on already diseased plants. The danger of the pest lies in the fact that it is rather difficult to identify it - when there are no signs on the upper part, the lower part is already quite spoiled. If nothing is done, the onion hoverfly will overwinter and harm crops next season.

Onion (tobacco) thrips

Small insects attack young sprouts shortly after they appear on the surface. From the eggs laid on the tops of the feathers, yellow worms hatch. In a matter of days, affected plants become covered with silvery spots and small black dots.As a result of the vital activity of pests, the onion turns yellow and dries.

How to prevent pests?

Since the fight against voracious insects does not always end successfully, it is better to try to avoid the appearance of pests on your site. What manipulations will help to ward off insects from the garden with onions? List:

1. Compliance with crop rotation rules. Like most cultivated plants, onions can only be planted in the same place 3-4 years after the first planting.
2. Digging the soil. On the eve of winter, the garden bed is carefully cleaned and dug up. Re-digging is carried out in the spring.
3. Planting carrots. Since the leaves of this plant produce phytoncides, the aroma of which is not to the liking of many insects, the culture is placed next to the onion bed.
4. Processing sevka. To destroy microorganisms on the surface of the bulbs, the planting material is soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulphate, and then dried and heated at a temperature of + 30- + 40 ⁰С or water is lowered for 10 minutes, the temperature of which is + 50- + 55 ⁰С.
5. Sprinkling. In order to scare away pests, onions are treated with wormwood infusion.
6. Care. The bed should be regularly weeded and loosened. Manipulation not only activates the growth of turnips, but also helps to identify diseased or insect-damaged plants.
7. Variety selection. Thanks to the work of breeders, a wide range of varieties is available for sale, the vast majority of which are resistant to bacteria. Onion diseases and their treatment take a lot of time from the gardener, thereby distracting from other equally serious problems.
8. Early boarding. Onions are planted immediately after the soil dries out from melt water. The sooner the planting is done, the more the plants will get stronger by the time the pests multiply.

As you can see, the rules of prevention are very simple, so even a person who first started growing onions can follow them. However, even despite all these actions, insects often attack the culture. What to do in this case?

How to deal with pests?

Unfortunately, there is no single scheme for onion pest control. The list of manipulations directly depends on the type of insect. So, an infusion of herbs with a pungent odor will help get rid of onion flies and onion hoverflies: garlic, wormwood, tobacco, hot red pepper. Top dressing with urea will help scare away pests. For prevention, bulbous beds are covered with mulching material.

If the garden is attacked by weevils, infusions of plants with a strong aroma are used as weapons. The insect will definitely not covet the onion, from which the smell of celandine, mustard or tansy emanates.In addition to spraying the plant, you can generously sprinkle with chopped dry herbs. The beds are dusted with wood ash and tobacco leaf powder.

All the same "fragrant" mixtures will help get rid of onion thrips. The most effective remedies are prepared as follows:

• Place 1 kg of wormwood in a saucepan and pour 3 liters of water, after which the mixture is boiled for 20 minutes and cooled. Spray onions 2 times with an interval of 7 days.
• 2 g of mustard powder are stirred in a glass of water. The mixture is infused for 48 hours. To prepare the working solution, the volume of the concentrate is adjusted to 1 liter.

To prevent the appearance of a pest, organic residues are carefully removed before winter. The tools necessary for planting are treated with a disinfectant. In case of severe infection, onions are treated with chemicals such as VDH, Aktara.

To destroy the onion moth and a number of other insects, the following means are widely used:

1. 300 g of wood ash is poured with boiled water, after which it is left to infuse. For better adhesion, 40 g of soap are added to the cooled strained mixture.
2. 100 g of marigold seeds are poured into 5 liters of water and left to infuse for two days. The resulting infusion is used to process onions affected by moths.
3. Finely chopped garlic is poured in a ratio of 1: 1 with water and infused for 14 days in a closed jar. To prepare the working mixture, add 70 g of concentrate to 10 liters of water.
4. 0.5 kg of red hot pepper cut in half, pour into a 5-liter saucepan and boil. The cooled broth is filtered. Onions are sprayed with a solution of 10 liters of water, 130 g of decoction, 40 g of soap.
5. 200 g of tobacco is poured with boiling water and left to infuse. After the mixture has cooled, it is filtered. Spray plants and soil. Consumption per 1 sq.m. beds - 1 l.
6. To destroy the onion fly, the soil around the turnips is sprayed with a s alt solution. To prepare the mixture in a bucket of water, I dissolve 200 g of table s alt. The treatment is carried out upon reaching a height of 5 cm. Subsequent sprayings are carried out at intervals of 3 weeks.

If these remedies are ineffective in the fight against numerous insects, onions are sprayed with chemicals. A good result is shown by the drug Proclaim, SPINTOR, Decis, Bi-58, Tabazol, Metaphos.

Regardless of the type of insect that attacked the onion planting, it is recommended to use aggressive pesticides only in case of severe infection.

Both the first and second types of spraying are carried out in dry, calm weather in the afternoon. To achieve a positive effect, the treatment is carried out periodically.

As you can see, the variety of onion pests is quite large. Having found at least one insect on plants, you must immediately begin measures to destroy it. If you do not react in time, harmless, at first glance, bugs will eat the entire onion in a matter of days. To reduce the risk of collision with voracious insects, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures, which consist of following the rules of crop rotation, soil and seed preparation.

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