How to process watermelons from melon aphids?

The melon aphid on watermelons is a real disaster. This small insect, almost invisible to the eye, multiplies rapidly. Large colonies of aphids can negate all the efforts of farmers.

Where does aphid come from on a watermelon melon

The pest has a narrow oval body, the length of an adult does not exceed 2 cm. It is not always possible to notice a small insect right away - it is disguised as the color of the leaves. The body color of the pest is light green, yellowish, dark green, sometimes almost black.

There are several ways to infect watermelon plantings with aphids:

• Larvae and young wingless individuals overwinter well in the upper layers of the soil, on the lower part of plant stems. When the air temperature rises to + 5 ° C, sleeping insects wake up, creep and settle on the bottom of the leaves on young plants.
• The risk of infection is high if melons were grown by seedlings. Greenhouse soil is an ideal place for aphids to winter; it is often infested. From the ground, the arthropod falls on seedlings, then transferred to the field.
• One of the main reasons for the appearance of aphids is ants. They keep the larvae during the winter, then spread them. The sweet secret that aphids secrete is a treat for ants.
• Often, aphid infestation occurs without assistance. From nearby fields, gardens and meadows, it gets to melon with gusts of wind.

Ways to combat aphids

Aphids actively reproduce with the onset of stable hot and dry weather in the third decade of June - July. The first sign of damage to a watermelon is rolling of young leaves. The increase in the colony leads to the appearance of spotting on the leaves, drying of plants. In a short time, aphids can destroy the entire planting. Therefore, farmers closely monitor the condition of watermelon plants and carry out treatment with insecticides.

To combat aphids, folk and chemical remedies, biological products are used.

Ladybugs help to cope with aphids in the area where watermelons are grown. And in order to prevent the breeding of sucking pests, you should fight ants on the site.

How to destroy aphids with folk remedies

In the fight against aphid infestation, formulations are used made from:

• tar;
• Luke;
• garlic;
• celandine;
• ash;
• red hot pepper;
• pine shoots.

If you need to process a melon of a small area, then natural insecticides are ideal. It is necessary to spray watermelons once every 2-3 weeks. During spraying, it is necessary to ensure that the solution falls on the lower part of the sheet.

Making folk remedies is simple:

• 4 kg of fresh celandine or 1 kg of dry pour 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 2-3 days. Strain the liquid, add 100 g of tar or laundry soap, crushed on a grater, stir thoroughly until smooth.
• 2 kg of young pine shoots are crushed, put into a container with a volume of 10 liters, topped up with water to the top, covered with a lid. Insist 7 days, you need to mix the composition daily. Before spraying, the liquid is filtered, diluted (for 1 liter of infusion - 10 liters of water).
• Red capsicum (1 kg fresh or 500 g dry) is ground, poured in 10 liters of water, insisted for 3-4 days. Before spraying, dilute with water in a ratio of 1: 5. Red pepper decoction (with the same amount of ingredients) turns out to be more concentrated. After boiling, it is insisted for 2 days, and before processing the watermelons, dilute 1:10 with water.
• Tar soap (150 g) is dissolved in 1 liter of water. Pour 5 liters of water 1 liter of wood ash, boil, let it brew for a day.Then the soap solution and the strained ash are mixed. The resulting product is diluted with water 1:10, treated with a watermelon planting. After spraying, the plants can be powdered with tobacco dust.
• 2 kg of greens of onions or garlic, celandine, nettles are chopped, put into a bucket with a capacity of 15 liters, top up with water. Let it brew for 7-10 days. Then the agent is filtered, diluted with clean water (1:10), melon is sprayed.

Treatment of watermelons with folk remedies for aphids effectively resists the invasion of the pest. But it must be carried out regularly, and it is advisable to change the spray formulations.

Plants are treated from melon aphids in any growing season. Ripe watermelons can be sent to the table after 4–5 days after processing with a natural remedy.

Biologicals

At the heart of the biological protection of watermelon plantings from aphids are fungi, bacteria and their metabolic products. Watermelons are processed at any stage of the growing season. Biological remedies are non-toxic; within 4–5 days after spraying, you can feast on watermelons.

Aphids begin to respond to the drug almost immediately, but it takes 5-7 days to completely destroy the pest population. Re-processing of melons is carried out with a biological product in 14–20 days.

Among the most popular biosecurity products for watermelons:

• Aktofit (Averkom);
• "Jaguar";
• Fitoverm.

Aversectins are usually present in the composition of biological defense drugs. These substances are produced by the earthen mushrooms Streptomitis Avemicillis.

Aversectin enters the aphid through the integument of the body or intestines and acts as a neurotoxin, as a result the insect dies. For plants and humans, the active substance does not pose a danger - after a few hours, under the influence of the sun and air, it decomposes to sugars.

It is possible to apply "Aktofit" during the ripening period, harvesting. You can eat the processed fruits after 2 days. Repeated use of the product does not cause aphid resistance to exposure. In hot weather, treatment with Aktofit is more effective than in warm or cool.

Jaguar helps to get rid of aphids. This biological insecticide acts in the same way as "Aktofit" (causes damage to the nervous system in aphids), but it is based on other active ingredients. To process the watermelon planting, the contents of the package (2.3 g of powder) are dissolved in 10 liters of water. This amount of the drug is enough to spray 1 weave of melons.

Fitoverm can be purchased as a liquid sealed in ampoules. For melon processing, a solution is prepared - 5 ml (1 ampoule) is diluted with 600 ml of water. Product consumption - 10 l of working solution per 100 m² landing. Plants are sprayed twice with an interval of 14-21 days.

Chemical insecticides

Chemicals effectively destroy aphids on watermelons. The newest drugs cause the death of insects within 1 hour after the treatment of the plant. The protective effect lasts up to a month.

• Iskra Zolotaya. The main active ingredient is imidacloporide. For the treatment of watermelon plantings, 5 ml of the chemical is diluted in 10 liters of water. Insecticidal properties persist for 25-30 days.
• "Spark double effect" - a remedy with cypermethrin and permethrin. It can be used to successfully control aphids and other pests. 1 tablet of the agent is dissolved in 100 ml of water, then another 10 l of water is added. Processing is carried out twice with an interval of 2 weeks.
• "Fufanon" (10 ml) for spraying watermelons from aphids is diluted in a small amount of water, so much liquid is added to the suspension so that the total volume is 10 liters. This amount of chemical is sufficient to treat 20 m² melons.
• "Tanrek" (the main substance is imidacloprid) destroys adult aphids and their larvae. Pests die within 3-5 hours after spraying. The effect lasts from 2 to 3 weeks. 5 ml of "Tanrek" is diluted in 1 liter of liquid, then water is added so that the volume reaches 10 liters.

It is necessary to process watermelons from aphids in dry, calm weather, preferably in the evening. It is important to observe safety precautions - use a respirator to protect the respiratory organs, a special face mask or tight-fitting glasses. In case of contact with the skin, rinse immediately with toilet or laundry soap.