White midges on cucumbers: what to do, how to fight?

All summer residents dream that only he althy cucumbers grow on the land. Despite this, parasitic insects attack the crop during the growing season. To some extent, gardeners themselves are to blame for this. Shrubs can infect various diseases as a result of exposure to other environmental factors.

If a person finds that the creepers are covered with small midges, this is a sign of infection of the culture. Small insects do not immediately arouse suspicion in a person if he started growing vegetables not so long ago. Professionals know what harm midges can bring to all vegetables on the land.Therefore, you need to know how to get rid of midges.

Parasite recognition

If a midge appeared on the stems, this is the very first sign of the development of the disease. A small butterfly is called a whitefly. She is characterized by one feature - to gather in small groups under the leaves. In the same place, midge larvae are concentrated. Every day there are more and more parasites on cucumbers.

In parallel with the disease, chlorosis develops. It is a mosaic damage to yellow leaves. Often there is a soot fungus. Its presence is evidenced by black spots. The leaves of cucumbers, on which the pest midge parasitizes, gradually turn yellow and wither, and the ovaries fall off.

In order to timely calculate the whitefly and start fighting it, you need to carefully monitor the seedlings. Butterflies tend to multiply quickly. Thus, midges pass to other plants. A small insect could cost a farmer his entire crop.

Signs of disease progression

If pests are present on cucumbers, the following signs indicate this:

white dots and blurry spots appear on the leaves;
during parasitization, there is a decrease in cucumber mass;
white midge tolerates chlorosis, which is characterized by leaf curl and curl;
buds dry up, ovaries with fruits fall off.

Adult midges are gluttonous. They eat the plant by sucking the juice out of it. Parasitism of this kind leads to the death of the culture. If there are few midges, dew is noticeable on the plant. In turn, the whitefly provokes the formation of soot fungus. Places that turn black and die off are covered with a white sticky coating.

In addition, whiteflies can cause even more damage to plants. Parasitizing on cucumbers, midges lay transparent eggs. After a few days, tiny greenish or gray larvae hatch. After hatching, whiteflies stick to the back of the leaves and begin to feed on their juices.

Over time, the midge larva turns into a young individual. Her body is covered with wax, which protects the insect from any environmental irritants. The culture is so weakened that it cannot fully nourish all parts of the bush. Cucumber leaves curl up and die. The adult larva eventually stops feeding to enter the pupation stage.

Whitefly can parasitize both in greenhouses and on open ground. If a person notices at least one symptom of the disease, it is recommended to urgently get rid of insects.

How to deal with the whitefly?

If the gardener noticed a parasitic insect, he tries to find a fast-acting drug to destroy it. The easiest method is to use modern specialized insecticides. Solutions such as Buton, Zitkor, Karbofos and Iskra have proven themselves to be excellent. If the infection has spread to most of the crops, use "Detis", "Aktara" or "Fufanon".

Gentle methods

If a person does not want to use aggressive drugs on the site, traditional medicine is used to combat midges. The simple ingredients that are used to make poisons are found in many people's kitchens. This is the usual laundry soap, tobacco, garlic and other products. Solutions are prepared from them, which are sprayed with midge-infected crops.

Soap solution

This product helps a person in any situation. A solution is prepared from soap, which is diluted with water. It should be at room temperature. At the same time, they maintain a ratio of 1:6.

To make it more convenient, the soap is first crushed. This can be done with a knife or grater. After that, it is combined with water until completely dissolved. Then it is poured into a spray bottle and processed not only the green part of the cucumbers, but also the ground. As a result of processing, insects disappear from the plant as soon as possible.

Using Garlic

Gardeners don't want to treat crops with chemicals. “We eat fruits and do not want them to contain poisonous substances” - this is how they explain their position. In this case, it is effective to use garlic against midges. It destroys pathogenic bacteria and butterflies will also not like it.

To prepare garlic "poisonous" tincture, grind 2-3 medium-sized cloves. This is done with a grater, garlic or knife. Then pour 1 liter of boiled water. The resulting mixture is covered with a lid and left to infuse in a dark place.

During the day, the garlic will give all the useful substances, and the solution will be ready for use. Before spraying cucumbers, it is filtered and poured into a spray bottle. The area affected by midges is treated at least 3 times, with a break of a week. This number of procedures is enough for the midges to leave the culture.

Tobacco

Cigarettes are used to kill parasites on cucumbers. To prepare the solution you will need a pack of cheap cigarettes and water. A filter is removed from each piece and placed in a large container. When all cigarettes are prepared, they are filled with boiled water. The liquid is infused for 5-6 days.

As in the previous case, the tincture is filtered through gauze or in any other way. Pour into a spray bottle and process the leaves every 2-3 days. Repeat the spraying procedure 3-4 times. This is enough to get rid of midges forever.

Traps

What to do besides spraying with poison to get rid of midges? Some gardeners prefer to take care in advance that parasites do not attack the plant. For this, special traps are made. The ideal option is to combine 2 methods together.

As a trap, bright paper is used, which is covered with a sticky substance. You can make your own or use fly tape. No less effective against midges is a light bulb placed inside the box. Both methods are equally good and help to prevent parasitism of whiteflies.

Destruction of midges in greenhouses

To prevent re-infection of crops with midges, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures:

A whitefly that eats cucumbers can hide its larvae anywhere, including on the frame of a greenhouse. To disinfect the room, all surfaces are treated with a solution of bleach.
After harvesting, remove all plants.
White midges parasitize not only on cucumbers, but also on other plants. Often it is weeds that act as carriers of larvae.
Before the procedure for planting seeds in the soil, it is treated with copper or iron sulfate.

If the whitefly started up in the greenhouses, during the ventilation, the entrance to the street is hung with gauze. It should be folded in several layers. Whitefly midges are one of the unpleasant phenomena that a gardener may encounter.If you carefully take care of the crops in the beds, they will thank you with a tasty and he althy harvest.