Strawberry-raspberry weevil. Strawberry pests: how to deal with weevil, how to process plantings

These small black bugs have a small, thin, slightly curved proboscis (rostrum). Weevil wakes up in early spring, causes particular harm to the most early varieties strawberries. First, the insect feeds on young leaves of berries, then, when buds appear, it makes its way to immature anthers and eats them.

The period of mating and feeding lasts from one to one and a half months, then the female gnaws a hole in the side of the bud, lays one egg and moves to another bud for the same purpose. Just one female beetle can lay 50 eggs in one month. The female gnaws the stalk of the bud with the egg, and closes the hole with her excrement. After a few days, it disappears, and if this does not happen, the larva will die in the future.

Due to the rather short budding period in early strawberries, the weevil lays eggs in other later varieties, as well as on raspberries, blackberries and roses.

After about a week, the eggs become beige larvae, which feed on strawberry bud for 20 days, or raspberry bud for 25 days, then the pupation stage begins. The pupa will become a beetle after about 14 days. They will also feed on buds and green berries until they leave for the winter. One generation of the pest is hatched per year.

Of the visible manifestations of harm from the weevil beetle, there are: damage, fracture and fall of buds, small holes in the foliage, in strawberries one can observe such a phenomenon as an even cut of buds from a bush.

How to process strawberries from weevil in spring and autumn

Now it has become clear why the weevil is dangerous, it's time to consider protection options. To begin with, it is worth making a reservation about aggressive chemicals to get rid of the beetle. In addition to harm to human health, such products destroy and repel insects useful for the ecology of the garden, for example, the ground beetle - it can eat up to twenty weevil per day. The use of chemistry will destroy not only pests, but also ground beetles. It is better to use more natural methods of prevention and getting rid of the raspberry-strawberry weevil.

There is another method used by many summer residents, but it reduces the winter hardiness of strawberry bushes, and we do not use it. And since it is often mentioned in reference books on agriculture, so we just call it:

• For the winter, strawberry leaves are completely cut off and all residues are removed from the plots. Without plant residues, most of the pest will not overwinter (but it will not be sweet for strawberries).

Well, and finally - radical method. This is a Fitoverm treatment. In all leaf-eating insects, he discourages "appetite", and they die of hunger. The drug is not cheap, and although it is absolutely non-toxic, it can be harmful. beneficial insects. Therefore, we use it in exceptional cases.

But when to treat Victoria with Fitoverm from the weevil, we will stop separately. In the spring, the weevil begins to show its activity at a temperature of +13 degrees. For some it's April, for some it's March. Therefore, focus not on the calendar, but on the weather. Burns during this period are not terrible, so if you spray during the day, then a portion of the spray will probably go to the bees. And in the evening you can poison the beetles. But if the population explosion of weevils is very high, better than strawberries treat with Fitoverm than with pesticides. In autumn, it is better to repeat spraying, also on strawberries - weevils return here and young immature individuals winter in strawberry bushes.

In order to prevent the harmful raspberry-strawberry weevil from roaming in areas with berries, plants should be monitored as far as possible from the very beginning of spring. And if you find the slightest sign of a pest, immediately proceed to biological methods protection, then it will be possible to save good harvest favorite berries. We hope that our recommendations on how to process strawberries from weevil will be useful to you.

Delicious, juicy and sweet strawberries are loved not only by children and adults. – in particular, weevils – are also very fond of garden strawberries. And so that the beetles do not destroy all the berries, they need to be fought. Timely protection measures taken will save your crop - let's find out how to process strawberries from weevil in the spring.

When should strawberries be processed in spring?

Treatment of strawberries against weevil should begin in early spring, before the first leaves appear. Beetles hibernating under strawberry bushes wake up from hibernation when the temperature environment rises to 8-10°C. It is very important not to miss this time and start spraying while the pests are still sleeping. Early spring – the best time for the use of biopreparations. And the sooner you decide to treat the strawberries from the weevil and start spraying them, the greater the effect of your actions.

The next stage in the fight against weevil is the moment 5-7 days before flowering, when strawberry inflorescences are formed and advanced. This is the best time to apply insecticides.

How to deal with weevil on strawberries in spring?

Most often, insecticides are used in pest control: Intravir, Aktara, Nurell, Fufanon, etc. The drug is dissolved in water in the proportions recommended by the manufacturer.

Practice shows that the preparations of the so-called biological control of insects - "Antonem-F" and "Nemabakt" - are very effective against the weevil. They act for 2-3 years, populating the soil with living microorganisms that eat the larvae. harmful insects. Such biopreparations can be used to protect many garden plants from Medvedka, May Khrushchev, cabbage flies, thrips, wireworms.

Also, many people use Fitoverm, Akarin, Iskra-bio to protect strawberries.

Blooming strawberries should not be sprayed from the weevil with anything: you need to have time to process it before flowering. Pesticides are strictly unacceptable during this period. But folk remedies can also be used during flowering:

We should not forget about mechanical way destruction of beetles. In the early morning, you need to substitute a newspaper under a strawberry bush and shake off the beetles sitting on the plant, and then destroy them. And in the garden with strawberries, you can plant onions and garlic, which will repel pests with their smell.

Hello, my name is Marina and my second home is my country cottage area. Here I spend all the warm days of summer. I have a lot here fruit trees and berries, including your favorite strawberries. And today I will share the secrets of dealing with such a pest. fragrant berry like a weevil.

• Small holes in the leaves;
• Falling of all flower-bearing twigs;
• Broken bud bases.

During the season, just one weevil can destroy about five dozen flower stalks. And if there are a lot of them, then they can destroy all the strawberries. Moreover, after that they will move to raspberries, which they also eat with pleasure.

Prevention and biological methods

It is best to start taking preventive measures from the earliest days of spring, when weevils are still in hibernation.

Biopreparations should be treated every week. Biological preparations are good because they do not harm bees and soil, and also do not settle in strawberry tissues. Rain and a decrease in air temperature negatively affect their action.

It is best to process strawberry beds in the evening or when the weather is dry and without wind. About 15 ml is needed for a bucket of water of any drug. The best biological agents for strawberries include:

• Anthony F;
• Fitoverm;
• Iskra-Bio;
• Akarin;
• Nemobact.

Also to biological protection include planting between strawberry beds of basil, marigolds, garlic and other plants that smell strongly. Do not forget to break off branches from them. In addition, strawberries and raspberries are best planted in different parts site.

Do not forget to burn all the leaves on which holes were found, as well as flower stalks that were struck by the pest.

After the strawberries have been harvested, remove all weeds, cut the leaves and treat the soil with a biological product. Also, do not be afraid to collect weevils with your hands. A biological product can be used even if you have been using chemical preparations all summer.

Fighting with chemicals

They should not be abused, but if there are too many weevils, chemicals will be the ideal means of combat. The main thing is that the funds do not fall on the berries that are ripe.

The next time strawberries can be processed after they are harvested, that is, already at the end of July.

The third treatment is carried out in late autumn. Now you can use biopreparations.

Folk remedies

Also suitable, especially if there are not so many pests.

Usually, remedies such as vinegar, potassium permanganate, tansy, mustard, ammonia (you need a few drops per 10 liters), tobacco ash or spicy pepper. Here are some recipes.

• Finely chop the hot peppers (if fresh, you need a kilogram, if dry - half a kilo) and pour one bucket of water. Having covered, we insist for a couple of days, after ten minutes we boil. Filter and mix with pulp juice;
• Mustard. It needs dry and 0.2 kg per 10 liters of water. We spray when budding begins, then after 12 days to destroy the next generation of weevils;
• Hellebore. She can not process strawberries during budding. We cut a kilogram of fresh hellebore and fill it with the amount of water that you need. After insisting a couple of hours, boil. Bringing to a boil, turn off and filter. We breed up to the volume of one bucket. Use after picking strawberries;
• Celandine. It is also quite toxic for weevils. We take a three-liter jar. We fill one third of it with onion peel and put three times less celandine. Pour boiling water over and leave to cool. We filter. We process twice;
• Yeast trap. For 0.1 kg of yeast, you need twice as much sugar. We wait until the first fermentation happens. It remains only to bottle and put on the beds. This will lure pests. We put new bottles in a couple of days and so all the flowering of strawberries;
• Tansy. Pour a kilogram of fresh grass with a bucket of water (or 800g dry). After a couple of days, cook and filter, top up so that you get two buckets. Add laundry soap (100g), shaping it finely.

A small long-nosed bug is capable of inflicting strawberry beds considerable damage. Because of it, the berry harvest can be reduced by at least 60%. Weevils create the greatest danger during the appearance of buds. Peduncles rise above the leaves in spring, attracting the attention of pests.

Weevil on strawberries how to deal with it? There are quite a few effective ways. It is very important not to waste time, but to start removing harmful insects immediately upon detection.

Description of the pest

Weevils (elephant or skewers) are beetles of the family Curculionidae. You can meet insects in different parts of the world, many of them are found in tropical and subtropical forests. In total, there are more than 50 thousand of their varieties, in Russia - more than 5 thousand. They differ in color, shape and size.

Weevil on a strawberry

A distinctive feature of insects is the presence of a rostrum, that is, an elongated front of the head, like an elephant's trunk. Russian bugs have pearl gray, brown or black colors, so they are not visible on plants.

Important! It is very difficult to visually determine the weevil due to its tiny size. Its length can be only 3 mm.

The diet of the insect includes raspberries, strawberries, strawberries, apricots. He eats not only fruits, but also stems, leaves, buds. A gluttonous bug can also covet cereals that are stored at home, indoor or garden flowers, wood, mushrooms, aquatic plants or fallen leaves.

Favorite delicacy is buds. Here insects prefer to lay their eggs. If there are no flowers, then other tissues are used (stems, roots, fruits, etc.). The female elephant pierces the surface with the help of a long proboscis, laying eggs inside. The latter in one plant can be about a hundred.

After 7 days, a larva appears. It grows like in an incubator. As it grows, it completely eats the plant from the inside. A month later, she calmly wraps herself in a cocoon there. After another 10 days, an adult beetle appears.

Important! The beetle brings the greatest harm to early varieties of berries.

Varieties

Most common the following types oblique:

1. Raspberry-strawberry. The elephant has the shape of an oval, the color of the body and proboscis is black. Covered with dense light gray bristles. Grows in length up to 3 mm. Prefers to settle in the European part of the country, as well as in Altai and Siberia. It feeds on blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, wild roses, strawberries and other berries. Leads active life from May to June. Winters in the soil.

Raspberry strawberry weevil

1. Small black. The body of this individual looks like an elongated oval. The trunk is short and extended at the end. Color - black or brown, but with a brilliant sheen. The body is decorated with chiseled grooves and sparse gray bristles. The length of the elephant is 5 mm. He lives only in the European part. The diet consists of berries, beets, alfalfa and coniferous plants. The active beetle happens only in the dark.
2. Burdock or rough. The body has an oval shape, its color is light brown. There are also sparse whitish bristles. The insect is called rough because of the presence of yellow scales and embossed tubercles on its body. The proboscis of this beetle is not long, on the contrary, it is short and expands towards the base. The length of the insect is 7 mm. It is distributed everywhere. Prefers to eat kidneys, tops of berries or vegetables. The larvae eat mainly the roots. During cloudy weather it is most active. He has good acting skills: if you touch him, he will pretend to be dead.

burdock elephant

1. Furrowed. The elephant is painted brown or gray-black with yellow streaks. There are dotted grooves on the body. The proboscis is short and wide. Length - 10 mm. Prefers to live in "warm" places: in greenhouses, greenhouses or nurseries. It can eat not only berries, but also industrial crops. Do not disdain decorative flowers. The beetle has a special love for vine. Adult insects eat the buds, leaves and fruits, the larvae destroy the roots.
2. Alfalfa. The largest beetle on this list. Its length can be up to 12 mm. The color of the body is black or brown. It is completely covered with gray scales and yellow bristles. You can find it in the Caucasus, in the European part of Russia or in Southern Siberia. In addition to berries, it actively gnaws on legumes, vegetables, and hops. Active - from May to July in the morning or in the evening.

Important! Two weeks before September, weevils hibernate, while ending their active life.

Weevil detection methods

Unfortunately, the presence of a pest on the site is not easy to detect. By the time he is nevertheless identified by the gardener, the garden will have suffered significant damage: the fruits have been eaten, the seedlings have withered, the buds have crumbled, and so on. Therefore, it is very important to know the signs that indicate the presence of a weevil in the area.

Important! The pest does not migrate far. For long journeys, he lacks wings. The insect lives, feeds and hibernates in those places where it appeared from the pupa.

Tracking the insect is almost impossible, it is too small. One weevil that accidentally fell into the garden will not bring noticeable damage to the plantings. It is necessary to be wary of the appearance of a colony of bugs, which will increase rapidly.

Beetles are especially active in early spring. By the beginning of August, during the period of late fruiting, pests, as a rule, hibernate. You can detect them by some signs that indicate traces of life.

Beetles are especially active in early spring.

When looking at strawberry bushes, pay attention to the following points:

Near the affected bushes there are always adult elephants, larvae or pupae. The beetle prefers to breed, feed and winter in one place. If the colony is small, then it will not be difficult to get rid of it.

Important! Pretty hosting in one garden, the pests will definitely move to another. From a large number insects are very difficult to get rid of. This may take more than one year.

Pest control methods

If a weevil is found on strawberries during flowering, the fight against it will include a whole range of measures, which may include the following:

When a weevil is found on strawberries, it is necessary to apply a set of measures

Chemicals

According to gardeners, the following drugs are the safest:

• Iskra-Bio;
• Fitoverm;
• Admiral;
• Engio.

Chemicals

When processing plants with them, you should remember the following rules:

• It is necessary to process plants in dry weather, otherwise the rain will wash away the active substances, and the treatment will have to be carried out again;
• There must be no wind so that the drug does not fall on adjacent landings;
• It is necessary to find out from the instructions at what air temperature the substances are most effective. With increased or decreased thermometer marks, the drug may not work at all;
• Dilution of powders should be carried out strictly according to the instructions;
• During the spraying process, remember to personal means protection (gloves, masks, goggles).

Important! If the bush has bloomed, then it is no longer possible to spray it with insecticides.

Folk ways

Some growers don't want to use chemicals on their land plot, so they are looking for alternative methods fight against elephants. Good help in this situation will be provided by advice from grandmothers. Such methods are cheap, safe, but require repeated use. Here are some of them:

• Ordinary iodine can save beds from bugs. You just need to dilute it in water, take 1 teaspoon of an alcohol solution for 5 liters;
• Mustard is another gardener's assistant. 100 grams of dry powder is added to a three-liter jar of water;

If you do not get rid of pests, then their numbers will increase rapidly. They are unlikely to destroy the entire crop. But gluttonous weevils can choose other vegetable or berry crops. Therefore, it is very important to start a fight with them in a timely manner and protect the garden.