Garden pests: raspberry fly. Maliciousness and control methods

One of the most dangerous pests of raspberries, which can affect both the volume and quality of the crop, is raspberry fly. And in order to prevent a massive defeat of landings, it is necessary to choose the right ways to deal with this pest and engage them in time.

Characteristic

As can be seen in the photo, the raspberry, or stem, fly is a small insect with a pubescent body and a pair of transparent wings. The dimensions are small - the body length of an adult does not exceed 7 mm. The larva is a worm-shaped caterpillar with a pale, off-white body color, the dimensions of which are about 5 mm. The larva has no legs; the oral apparatus is located between two front segments of the body. The adult caterpillar encloses itself in a barrel-like pseudococcus, which has a brown color. In this cocoon, parasites hibernate, usually in the upper soil layer.

In May, when the substrate in the zones of larvae is warmed up to +12 ... 13 ° C, they pupate. Development in the chrysalis lasts about 7-9 days, after which adult flies come out of them, whose years last from 8 to 10 days. In cold and rainy weather, the departure may be somewhat delayed - up to 20 days. Under such conditions, most pupae die.
Departed, mature flies are fed with flower nectar, dew and sugar secret of other insect pests, after which the females make masonry. They usually lay eggs on the tops and sinuses of unformed leaves, young shoots and in the root processes of raspberries.

Fertility of females of raspberry stem flies is 60-90 eggs. Development in an egg takes from 5 to 8 days, after which larvae emerge from them. Young growth bites into the middle of young stems and makes spiral and ring-like passages. The apical parts of the damaged stems gradually fade, blacken and die over time. After 12-16 days, the nutrition of the larvae ceases. They gnaw at the stem and, following the steps made, descend into the soil during the winter season. There they entangle themselves with a false window and remain until spring.

On a note! The number of raspberry stem flies is limited by many predatory insects, especially ground beetles!

How to destroy a pest? Choose a drug.

It is necessary to start the fight with a raspberry stem fly with the simplest methods: inspection of the site and removal of damaged shoots. Doing this is desirable during the budding period. We determine the areas of shrubs damaged by the parasite and cut them off, capturing several centimeters of the healthy part. All cut branches must be collected and burned outside the garden.

Insecticides

If the size of the colony of the stem fly is large, then in this case, insecticides should already be used.

Important! The first spraying with insecticides is preferably carried out during the period of mass flight of flies!

• "Spark". The drug is available in the form of tablets, which must be dissolved in a certain amount of water before use. To treat the area from raspberry flies, one tablet is dissolved in 10 liters of water and the bushes are sprayed with a fresh solution.
• "Karbofos". This drug works well against a wide range of leaf-eating pests in the garden. Spraying with a working solution (60 g per 10 l of water) is preferably carried out in the evening at an air temperature of at least + 15 ° C. Fight with raspberry fly with this drug should be in the autumn after harvest, as it is toxic to bees and is prohibited for use during flowering.
• "Actellicus." Organophosphate insecticide acaricide of intestinal action, which is available in liquid form and is sold in 2 ml ampoules and in 5 l canisters. The working solution is prepared from the contents of one ampoule diluted in two liters of water. With a very strong infection, the concentration can be increased - the contents of one ampoule per liter of water. Like the previous drug, Actellik is toxic to bees, and therefore is not used during flowering.
• "Confidor." Contact systemic insecticide. When spraying, the active substances of the drug penetrate the leaves and stems of the plant and spread throughout its body.
  

  On a note! Confidor is resistant to flushing and works very efficiently for 5-15 days, even in the heat!

• Agraventin. Biological preparation of intestinal contact action, based on extract from Streptomices soil fungus. Effective and non-addictive. For processing, you need to choose a warm day. In the heat, the effectiveness of the product against stem flies is enhanced; when the thermometer is lowered to + 18 ° C or lower, it weakens.
• Fitoverm. Another biological insecticide that can help fight raspberry flies. Starts to work 5-8 days after spraying. For bees it is not toxic, so the first treatment can be done in the summer, but no later than a couple of days before picking berries.

Important! Insecticide treatment alone will not be enough. In order to completely get rid of the pest, it is necessary to carry out 2-3 sprayings!

The sequence of measures to protect the raspberry

With the advent of raspberry stem flies, it is necessary to deal with it for a long time, both in spring and summer, and in autumn. The overall action plan is as follows:

• in early spring, as soon as the snow has fallen, you should carefully dig the entire area and thoroughly loosen the soil under raspberry bushes;
• in late spring - approximately in May, when the mass flight of flies begins, if the drug allows (remember the toxicity for pollinating insects) we carry out an insecticide treatment;
• during budding, cut out damaged stems and battle them to be disposed of;
• In the autumn after harvesting, we again dig the soil around the bushes, spill it with Bordeaux liquid and, if necessary, repeat the insecticidal treatment. During this period, it is better to use Karbofos.

Prevention

As you can see, the raspberry fly is very dangerous, and the fight against it can drag on for a long time. And in order to avoid trouble and prevent re-infection, it is necessary to competently act throughout the season. The quantity and quality of the harvest will depend on this.

Prevention is pretty simple:

• regularly inspect the bushes in your raspberry tree and pay special attention to the condition of young shoots;
• if you know that a raspberry fly has definitely wound up in a nearby area, then it will be useful to carry out preventive treatment with Karbofos or Aktellik;
• in the spring and autumn dig a site and immediately collect all plant debris;
• Before winter, it is advisable to cover all the bushes and around them fill the soil with mulch from compost or peat.

Remember, if during the season you follow all safety precautions, you will be able to protect your raspberry from attack by pests. And even if the infection happened, do not give up, because now you know the methods of dealing with raspberry stem flies. They are efficient and easy to execute.