Cabbage fly control methods
Cabbage fly is a pest that poses a danger to the cabbage crop. It damages the root system and lays the larvae, multiplying at a rapid rate.
Cabbage fly control methods
Description of cabbage fly
There are two types of cabbage fly:
- spring cabbage fly - its color and distinctive stripes are light with an ashy tint: one running along the belly and three longitudinal on the back, the body length can be up to 5.5 mm in males and up to 6.5 mm in females, while males stand out dark coloring,
- the summer cabbage fly is similar in appearance to the spring fly, only it has a slightly larger size - up to 7.5 mm.
A cabbage fly appears in a summer cottage when it gets warm, when trees and shrubs begin to bloom. This time falls on the end of April - mid-May.
The color of birch and dandelion is especially attractive to the pest, but the spring cabbage fly begins to fly in large numbers when the lilac blooms. Summer cabbage fly can be seen not earlier than June, at a temperature of 18 °.
Females lay eggs on cruciferous stems, from which, after 7 days, white larvae hatch without limbs. They begin to feed on the green roots of young plants and damage cabbage crops. Making their way along the stems, the cabbage fly larvae eat away the soft center, leading to wilting and death of plants.
Preventive measures
Preventive measures in the fight against the spring cabbage fly and its summer relative are the same, and they should be started immediately in the fall and continued in the spring.
Soil condition
At the initial stage, the state of the beds is analyzed for the presence of cabbage fly larvae in the ground, which can be easily detected in the process of loosening the soil. You can destroy the larvae by planting marigolds or calendula. Such a bed will become suitable for planting cabbage seedlings only for the next gardening season.
Natural enemies
Ground beetles are attracted to the personal plot, which also actively fly the flower stalks planted on the beds. They are natural enemies of the cabbage fly, eating their larvae.
Agrotechnics
Agrotechnical preventive measures are associated with deep autumn plowing of the land and careful leveling of the beds in the spring. They also include adhering to the basic rules of crop rotation, where cabbage is not planted every year in a row, but a different place is chosen for it. Among the agricultural techniques that act as a prophylaxis against the cabbage fly, the removal of weeds that contribute to its spread is also included. After the harvested crop, all plant residues should be removed and burned.
Land cultivation
Disinfecting soil treatment involves watering the earth with a saline solution, which is made from 200 grams of salt per ten-liter volume of water. After such watering, the soil is sprinkled on top with ash powder.
Insecticide use
Chemicals will get rid of insects
When there is a massive defeat of vegetable plantings by a pest, it is recommended to use insecticidal preparations. The detection of 5-10 eggs or about 5-10 larvae is a reason to use effective chemistry to combat them.
Karbofos
Against cabbage fly, use a drug with a concentration of active substances of 50%. To prepare the working fluid, it requires 500-600g per 1 hectare of sown area. Dilute karbofos at the rate of 50-60g per ten-liter volume of water. The frequency of treatment is 2 times with an interval of 1 week.
Zemlin
The drug, which has a contact-intestinal effect on the pest, must be introduced into the soil immediately before planting seedlings in it. Zemlin's expenditure rate is about 3-5 kg per 1 sq. M of sown area. The depth of application must be at least 2cm. The larvae die after 1 day. The greatest efficiency from the use of the drug can be achieved if it is mixed with river sand.
Traditional methods
In addition to insecticidal agents, many gardeners also use folk methods of fighting cabbage fly.
Clay talker
The poisonous clay talker consists of clay diluted to the state of sour cream, mullein and bitoxibacillin with a concentration of 1%. All components are taken in equal parts and mixed. In such a composition, the roots of the seedlings are lowered before planting in the ground. In contact with the roots of plants treated with poison, the larvae of the cabbage fly die.
Smelly neighbors
Planting plants with a pungent specific odor between cabbage ridges can scare off the pest. These plants include garlic, cumin, tansy, mint and marigold flowers.
Pepper with tobacco
Red and black ground pepper, mixed with tobacco and lime, allow you to create conditions unfavorable for the pest during pollination of plantings. The dusty mixture must be applied not only to the green parts, but also to the soil near the root collar.
Soap
Tar soap, together with copper sulfate, also helps against the pest. To do this, it is enough to mix 1 tbsp. l. copper sulfate with the same amount of tar soap and dilute in 10 liters. water. Plants are treated with a working liquid, repeating disinfection after 3 weeks.