There are black midges on the radishes. Fighting cruciferous flea beetles in the garden

Tender leaves of early shoots vegetable crops(lettuce, radish, spinach, radish) and seedlings of cruciferous plants (cabbage, beets, rutabaga), characterized by a short growing season, from the very first hours after planting in open ground are attacked by small bugs, to which many novice gardeners do not even pay serious attention.

After only a day or two, it turns out that the leaves of young plants are so badly damaged by these insects - cruciferous flea beetles that there is even a question about replacing seedlings. These pests are widespread throughout our country (except for the Far North); they cause significant damage in the north of the European part, in non-black earth and central regions, and therefore are considered one of the most dangerous pests of cruciferous crops.

These small (2-3 mm in size) dark beetles jump quite high, like fleas, which is why they began to be called "cruciferous flea beetles", although according to taxonomy they belong to the genus Phyllotreta (family Leaf beetles). In the non-chernozem zone, cruciferous crops are affected mainly by six types of flea beetles, although, according to some experts, about 80% of the total number of these flea beetles in the middle, northern and western regions of the country is wavy flea beetle (Ph.undulata Kutsch). The wavy flea beetle (2-2.8 mm in size) is black, with a yellow stripe on the outside of each elytra with a deep notch.

As soon as the snow melts, after leaving the winter hut, which the beetles spend in secluded places in the garden plot, most often under plant debris and fallen leaves, in the surface layer of soil in the garden, in the crevices of greenhouses and greenhouses, on forest edges, they feed on cruciferous weeds ( rapeseed, shepherd's purse, field rapeseed, wild radish, jaundice, field grass). IN middle lane In the country, this period usually occurs at the end of April - beginning of May. With the advent cultivated plants the beetles fly to their foliage, from which they scrape off the top layer and gnaw out depressions along the edges of the leaves, as a result of which, if the damage is significant, the leaves dry out. On the more tender leaves of turnips and radishes, they gnaw through holes (1.5-2 mm in diameter). If the growing point is damaged, the seedlings can easily die. These beetles are most active in sundial days (periods from 10 to 13 am and from 16 to 18 pm), when the dew drops dry on the leaves. Insects are especially voracious in dry, hot weather and are capable of destroying completely young seedlings of cruciferous crops in a matter of days (sometimes even before the cotyledons appear above the soil surface). This is explained by the increased biological activity of fleas when high temperature(20°C and above) and inhibited development of plants during drought, which is why they do not have time to “escape” damage. During mass reproduction, cruciferous flea beetles quickly destroy cabbage seedlings, especially in the first 10 days, while they have not yet taken root after planting in open ground. Damage from beetles is also dangerous for young seedlings of radish and radish in the cotyledon and first true leaf phases. In some cases, cruciferous flea beetles also attack hardened cruciferous seed plants, eating away small (1.5-2 mm in diameter) pits on buds, pods and leaves and significantly reducing their yield. In cool and humid weather their activity decreases.

In summer, flea beetles sometimes severely damage summer radish crops, as well as cauliflower seedlings. From flower plants Those most affected by this pest are most often called gillyflower and alyssum.

Females lay small yellowish eggs in the soil. For example, in the conditions of the Moscow region, the wavy flea flea lays eggs from the second half of June until the end of July. Eggs (0.3-0.4 mm) are light yellow, translucent, oblong-oval. The worm-like larvae, which hatch 4-10 days after laying eggs (depending on weather conditions), have a thin, long, light yellow body with three pairs of thoracic legs. The hatched larvae in the soil feed on small roots for 2-4 weeks or eat root crops at the root collar. After 8-12 days, new beetles emerge. Larvae pupate in the soil. A new generation of young beetles also feeds on cruciferous crops, and with the onset of cold weather they leave for the winter. Over the course of a year, all types of cruciferous flea beetles develop in one generation.

Measures to combat cruciferous flea beetles should consist of a complex of agricultural practices and methods of biological and chemical protection. Late autumn You should carry out a deep digging of the soil in the beds where you grew cruciferous crops in order to turn the beetles that are preparing to winter to the surface of the soil - then with the first cold weather they will die. To prevent the mass appearance of fleas, it is recommended in early spring promptly destroy weeds (especially from the cruciferous family) growing both on the site and on the periphery of the sites, on the roadsides: flea beetles feed and reproduce on it. Early boarding seedlings of cruciferous crops should be selected for cloudy weather, when beetles are not particularly active (sowing seeds at maximum early dates through greenhouses and greenhouses). On the other hand, sowing turnips and turnips in the middle and northern zone can be carried out in late dates- in June, when the number of flea beetles begins to decline.

In hot weather, nurseries and seedlings planted in open ground are shaded, for example, large leaves burdocks It is very important to ensure agrotechnical techniques, accelerating the growth and development of young plants: fertilizing with slurry, saltpeter or other nitrogen fertilizers, regular watering and loosening. There is evidence that spraying foliage with slurry and bird droppings solution has a negative effect on flea beetles. More developed and strong plants characterized by greater resistance to pest damage. The leaf surface of newly emerged seedlings and small cruciferous seedlings is sprinkled with ash or its mixture with tobacco dust (1:1). This procedure only temporarily repels flea beetles from plants, so it is repeated several times (usually immediately after watering the plants). On personal plots You can fight cruciferous flea beetles by catching them on plywood shields smeared on top with sticky substances - special long-lasting glue, resin or tar. Bottom side The shield in contact with the plants is not lubricated.

If the pest population is high or conditions are unfavorable for young plants or large-leaved seedlings, it is still more advisable to spray with one of the insecticides. As effective insecticides for homestead farming, the retail chain offers (per 10 liters of water): Fufanon, Kemifos, Iskra M, Actellik. Consumption of working solution is 1 l / 10 m². Plantings are treated in the evening, when flea beetles are sitting quietly on the plants, but no later than 20 days before harvesting. Since some garden crops - lettuce, radishes, celery, parsley - begin to be eaten already at the beginning of summer, you still should not treat these plantings with pesticides; it is better to spray the plants with an infusion of ash or a decoction of tomato plants. In the evening, a glass of ash is poured into 9 liters of water, stirred, allowed to settle until the morning, after which all the liquid above the sediment is drained and, if necessary, filtered. Or this composition: 2 kg of the remains of fresh tomato plants or 0.5 kg of its dry mass are poured into 5 liters of water, infused (3-4 hours), then boiled for low heat(green mass - 30 minutes, dry mass - 2-3 hours); filter, dilute with water (1:2) and add soap (20 g per 5 liters of solution). And the plants are treated against cruciferous flea beetles.

Alexander Lazarev,
Candidate of Biological Sciences,
senior researcher at VNII plant protection,
Pushkin

The cruciferous flea beetle (Phyllotreta crusiferae), or cabbage flea beetle, is an insect that belongs to the species of flea beetles of the subfamily of the Beetles of the Leaf Beetle family. In nature, you can meet such an insect in the Caucasus, Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, and also in the Mediterranean region. Both adults and larvae eat the foliage of representatives of the Cruciferous (Cabbage) family, namely: radish, horseradish, turnips, all types of cabbage, rapeseed, radish, daikon and rutabaga.

The cruciferous flea beetle is a harmful insect and is a flying beetle that can reach 0.15–0.3 cm in length. The body shape is oval-oblong. There are also antennae that reach no more than 1/3 of the body length. The bug's hind legs are hopping.

Types of cabbage flea beetles differ in the color of their wing covers, which can be striped, black or with a metallic tint. The larvae of such insects eat thin roots of plants. Greatest harm garden crops The following types of cruciferous flea beetles are applied: blue, notched, wavy, light-legged and black flea beetles.

How to deal with flea beetles in the garden

The cruciferous flea beetle can settle on cabbage after the air outside warms up to 15 degrees. To avoid freezing in winter, the pest hides under plant debris or in the top layer of soil. The insect damages all cabbage plants in the same way; it can look like skeletonization, ulcerative gnawing, or interveinal gnawing. Those sheet plates, which are very badly damaged, begin to dry out and then die; over time, the plant itself begins to die.

Can cruciferous flea beetle harm early stage cabbage development? Insects injure the surface of foliage and shoots, causing sores to appear, which then become holes. Because of this, yellowing of the foliage begins. Injured seedlings may die within just a few days, especially if the weather is very warm. As soon as the bugs are discovered, you need to immediately begin an active fight against them.

How to save cabbage? It is recommended to treat cabbage that belongs to early ripening varieties exclusively with folk remedies, since they do not contain substances hazardous to humans. So, once a week the bushes should be sprayed with an infusion of tobacco or wood ash, a solution of vinegar or a decoction of tomato tops. And you can spray late and mid-season cabbage varieties with special chemicals, for example: Aktellik, Karate, Aktara, Decis or Bankol.

Bugs that have settled on radishes, on radishes, or on other representatives of the Cruciferous family can also greatly harm them. The fact is that if the foliage is injured, the root crop will lose nutrition. The fight should begin as soon as the first pests are detected. In order to get rid of them completely, you will need to carry out several sprayings.

Flea beetles on other crops

The cabbage flea beetle can harm both cruciferous and other crops. It can also injure gillyflowers, roses and chrysanthemums. How to save flowers from cruciferous flea beetle? To control pests, you can use the same drugs as when treating cruciferous crops. However, in this case, insecticidal preparations can be used without fear.

Treat any crops against flea beetles in the evening, when the sun sets, at which time the pests are on the surface of the foliage.

In the fight against cabbage flea beetles, the following insecticidal preparations are most popular among summer residents:

Aktara. This is a systemic insecticidal preparation of contact-intestinal action that can cope with big amount various harmful insects, including secretive and sucking insects.
Aktellik. Organophosphorus non-systemic insectoacaricidal preparation of contact-intestinal action, which is used in the fight against leaf-eating and sucking harmful insects.
Karate. Contact-system combined insecticide, with the help of which they fight sucking and gnawing pests.
Bankol. This is an insecticidal preparation of contact-intestinal action that destroys sucking and gnawing harmful insects.
Decis. A broad-spectrum contact-intestinal insecticide from the pyrethroid group. It effectively fights lepidopteran, coleopteran and homoptera harmful insects.

In addition to these drugs, you can use Inta-Vir, Mospilan, Fitoverm and others with similar effects.

It is recommended to spray vegetable crops affected by the cruciferous flea beetle with chemicals only as a last resort, because they contain poisons that are dangerous to both humans and beneficial insects. Instead of chemistry experienced gardeners It is advised to use folk remedies that are not only safe, but also quite effective.

Most often, gardeners use the following effective folk remedies to combat the pest:

Immediately after transplanting into open ground, seedlings must be dusted with wood ash; you can also use tobacco dust combined with ash (1:1). Pollination is carried out on a fine, windless day, and there should be no rain in the immediate future after treatment. This procedure is carried out three times with a break of 4 or 5 days. After pollination of all leaves, both surfaces should be covered with the composition.
Vegetable crops should be sprayed with a decoction made from tomato tops: combine 2 kg of dry or 4 kg of fresh tops with a bucket cold water, wait four hours and boil the mixture over low heat for 30 minutes. The cooled and strained broth is combined with water in a 1:1 ratio and with grated or liquid soap, taken in an amount of 40 grams. The bushes are treated with the composition three times with a break of three or four days.
Pass 1 tbsp through a meat grinder. garlic and the same amount of tomato tops. The resulting mass is poured with a bucket of lukewarm water. Mix everything well and strain. Pour one large spoon into the resulting product. liquid soap, after which the resulting product is sprayed onto the bushes.
500 g of dandelion roots and leaves are combined with a bucket of water, do not forget to chop them first. Mix the product well and strain it. Before processing, pour a little liquid soap into it.
A bucket of water is combined with a couple of glasses of wood ash. The mixture should steep for two days, after which it is carefully drained and ¼ of a bar of tar soap, which is first ground on a grater, is dissolved in the resulting product.
10 l hot water combined with 0.2 kg of tobacco dust. The cooled and strained infusion is combined with one large spoon of dishwashing detergent or liquid soap.
10 liters of water are combined with 2 large spoons of vinegar essence or 1 tbsp. vinegar (9%). Spray the foliage with a well-mixed solution.
A couple of liters of water are combined with 1 kg of finely chopped wormwood. The mixture is boiled over low heat for 10–15 minutes. The cooled broth is mixed with 100 grams of chopped garlic and filtered. The amount of funds received is adjusted clean water up to 10 l.
5 liters of water are combined with 2 kilograms of potato tops and boiled over low heat for half an hour. The cooled broth is filtered and diluted twice with water. The treatment is carried out in the evening.
Prepare an infusion of chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20. It is kept on for seven days outdoors, after which they are filtered and you can begin processing. This infusion will not only repel fleas, but will also become a source of nitrogen for plants.
Half a bucket of water is combined with one tablespoon of flea remedy (sold at a pet store). The resulting solution is sprayed onto the bushes.
A flag is made from cardboard or thin plywood, both surfaces of which are coated with grease or resin. Walk several times along the rows of plants where flea beetles have settled, do not forget to wave the flag and touch the foliage with it. Frightened pests will start jumping and most of them will stick to the flag.
Take several pieces of fabric and soak them in used automotive or diesel oil. Distribute them on sheets of cardboard between the rows in the beds, and the distance between them should be about four meters. After two or three days, you need to turn the fabric over to the other side, which will allow you to collect many more pests.

After the seedlings are transplanted into open ground, they are covered non-woven material. After the seedlings get stronger, their foliage will become coarser and will no longer attract fleas. At this time it will be possible to remove the shelter.
The smell of coriander, dill and garlic repels this pest, so it is recommended to grow cabbage next to them. When growing late varieties cruciferous crops, you can protect them from such a harmful insect with the help of mixed plantings with nasturtium, marigolds or calendula.
Every day, freshly picked wormwood should be placed between the rows in the beds.
In the water intended for irrigation, you need to pour 10-15 drops per bucket of aromatic agents such as valerian tincture, Corvalol, pine or fir oil.

Some agrotechnical rules will also help prevent cruciferous flea beetles from appearing on your site:

Systematically pull out weeds, as the cruciferous flea beetle likes to settle on it.
IN autumn time When the harvest is harvested, the soil in the garden is dug up.
Water and fertilize the plants on time, thanks to this they will quickly get stronger, grow and become less attractive to the pest.
It is recommended to plant crops as early as possible, while this is still harmful insect didn't wake up. You can also plant seedlings in last days June, when the flea will no longer be too scary for her.

Having planted radishes and anticipating an abundance of harvest, after about a few weeks you notice that someone has done a lot of work in your garden bed: they have gnawed the leaves of the plants to holes and thereby caused considerable damage to your harvest...

The proposed methods will help protect the future harvest and will be effective not only in early spring, when the cruciferous flea beetle appears. The fight against it is most effective during the entire summer period:

covering young seedlings with non-woven material;
complete eradication of cruciferous weeds: rapeseed;
regular weeding and loosening of the soil, especially in autumn, helps to destroy pests that have settled in the ground for the winter;
constant irrigation using sprinkling method;
use of insecticides: “Decis” at the rate of 3 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water (the solution is enough to treat 100 sq.m.), “Karate” - 2.2 ml per 10 liters of water;
treating the area with biological products such as "Aktellik", "Bankol" - 20 ml per 10 liters of water (1 liter of solution is enough for 10 sq. m);
pollination of seedlings with ash with careful treatment of the upper and lower leaves at least 3 times with breaks of 4-5 days;
plant protection using a special mixture consisting of wood ash and tobacco powder, maintain a 1:1 ratio;
spraying with vinegar in dry weather: dilute 1-2 tbsp per 10 liters. l. 70% or half a liter of regular 9% vinegar.

The cruciferous flea beetle has no love for odorous aromas. You can sprinkle naphthalene between the beds (30-50 grams of product per 10 sq. m). Plants such as dill, coriander, marigolds, garlic, etc. emit odorous substances that repel pests, so they can also be used, for example, planted next to affected plants. It is advisable to provide assistance to pests everywhere, calling on the owners of neighboring gardens to participate and jointly delivering a powerful blow to eliminate the enemies of the future harvest.

Every gardener knows perfectly well how difficult and troublesome it is to grow healthy and high-quality seedlings. It is very disappointing if all efforts end in failure. It’s especially bitter when the culprit of the trouble turns out to be a small, inconspicuous, but very harmful bug. This insect is called the Cruciferous flea beetle. The bug is popularly called the earthen flea or garden flea.

The pest has a special predilection for plants belonging to the cruciferous family. The victims of the voracious insect include cabbage, radishes, spinach, turnips, lettuce and other vegetables. The flea beetle does not disdain some flower crops; alyssum and matthiola may well become targets of attack.

In nature, the bug feeds wild plants, such as shepherd's purse or wild mustard.

The insect is easy to distinguish from other pests. It is capable of jumping long distances. It is for this quality that they call it a flea. In fact, the beetle has nothing to do with the flea family.

Available in black, green or of blue color. There are striped individuals among them - it all depends on the habitat of the insect. It is quite small, its length is no more than 3 mm.

The pest overwinters under the remains of unharvested vegetation, under the top layer of soil.

As soon as spring comes, flea beetles become active and begin to eat the first weeds. After some time, horseradish and radish sprouts appear.

Small pests happily move onto these crops. But beetles are especially delighted with cabbage seedlings. During the period of setting a head of cabbage, insects attack the vegetable.

Adult beetles feed on the top, juicy layer on cabbage leaves. They seem to scrape off the pulp, leaving solid holes in the damaged areas. Pests are capable of chewing through entire tunnels in a head of cabbage.

Cruciferous flea beetles reproduce in hot weather. For a comfortable existence, the air temperature must be at least 15 degrees.

At this time, females lay eggs in the upper layers of the earth. After some time, larvae emerge from the eggs. They feed on young plant roots. The larvae develop within two weeks, then pupate. This stage in the development of insects occurs in early August.

The young shift crawls out of the upper layers of the soil and attacks the plantings with redoubled force. With the onset of autumn, cruciferous flea beetles settle down for the winter.

IN rainy weather The vigorous activity of pests subsides, active reproduction does not occur.

The insect is distributed almost everywhere. The only exception is the far north.

Types and their features

In the central and western parts of Russia, the wavy flea beetle operates. It is black in color, and yellow stripes can be seen above the wings.

In Yakutia and Primorye you can find notched cruciferous flea beetles. They not only gnaw out the top layer of the plant, but also completely skeletonize the leaves.

The light-legged flea beetle lives in forests in the southern regions of Russia. This black bug boasts yellow legs.

The most aggressive representative of the glorious family is the southern cruciferous flea beetle. She has a black body with a metallic sheen. The head is dotted with rough spots.

If the number of pests is growing exponentially every day, serious measures need to be taken. Chemicals will come to the rescue.

Review of effective chemicals

The safest drug is good old naphthalene. To achieve the result, it is enough to scatter it along vegetable beds. An excellent remedy is “Aktara” or “Sherpa”. It is best to spray just before sunset, since the bulk of insects settle on the leaves at this time.

If we talk about more powerful drugs, we can mention products such as “Decis” or “Molniya”. However, it should be remembered that the dosage must be observed especially carefully, as young seedlings may be damaged.

Folk methods of struggle

As folk remedies can be called dusting seedlings with ground pepper, ash or shag. The easiest way to do this is with a sieve.

Spraying vegetable crops with an infusion of freshly cut dandelions can give good results. To do this, pour 250 g of dandelions into a bucket of warm water. Let it brew for a few hours. Before spraying, add a piece of soap to the infusion. This is necessary for better adhesion.

You can make a sticky pest trap. To do this, you will need a piece of fabric coated with adhesive and a stick. The fabric needs to be attached to the pole, you will get a “flag”. Resin can be used as glue. By running a flag along the tops of plants, you can catch many specimens. Pests will simply stick to the trap.

Prevention

To preserve vegetable crops great importance has prevention. Measures include timely watering, weeding and covering the seedlings with a piece of lutrasil.

In the fall, it is advisable to dig up the ground, so the pests that have settled in for the winter will die from frost.

“Riddled” leaves of turnips, horseradish or cabbage are often found in areas. It's all because of small voracious insects - cruciferous flea beetles, which large quantities attack seedlings and tender leaves of seedlings. Often on one young plant From 50 to 200 pests settle.

Colonies of these small insects can destroy a crop in a few days, so in order to preserve it, immediate action must be taken. There are several ways to get rid of cruciferous flea beetle, each of which we will discuss in detail below.

General description and types of insects

This is one of the most dangerous pests Agriculture who can for short term leave the gardener without a harvest. Therefore, it is necessary to know him in person.

Ash for dusting plant leaves

You can treat strawberries and other crops with homemade solutions. The procedure gives a positive result in the fight against bugs. The procedure is carried out only in the evening so that sunburn does not appear on the leaves.

What can you spray with:

Infusion chicken droppings in a ratio of 1:20. The droppings are poured with water and left for several days, then the leaves are filtered and processed.
Infusion of tomato tops and garlic. One glass of garlic cloves and the same amount of tops are passed through a meat grinder. The mushy mass is diluted in 10 liters of warm water, filtered and added 1 tablespoon of liquid soap.
Infusion of tobacco. 200 g fresh leaves pour 10 liters of tobacco hot water and leave to infuse for 3 hours. Then filter and add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap.
You can also scare away bugs using vinegar - pour 1 glass of 9% vinegar or 2 tablespoons of essence into 10 liters of water.
A decoction of potato tops - 4 kg of fresh tops is poured into 10 liters of water and boiled for 15 minutes. The cooled broth is filtered and diluted with water 1:1.

Sticky traps

A variety of traps with a sticky layer are a very effective and safe means.

Digging the soil on the site

To prevent the flea from invading the site, the following measures are used:

destroy weeds in a timely manner, especially those belonging to the cruciferous family, dig up the soil;
if there is already a flea beetle in the beds, then cruciferous green manures are not planted;
be sure to dig up the soil in the fall;
water the soil abundantly, as the insect cannot tolerate moisture;
If possible, plants are planted either early, before the flea flea wakes up, then they have time to get stronger, or at the end of June. In this case, the pest will cause less harm;
Fragrant plants are planted next to the crops.

Despite small size, the cruciferous flea beetle has an excellent appetite. Preventive measures help reduce the risk of pest occurrence. If insects do settle on plants, you need to take immediate action. Timely control is always effective and saves most of the harvest.