How to deal with scabies on currant bushes: only effective drugs and proven folk remedies

Currants are often attacked by a wide variety of pests, and one of them is scale insects. With its appearance on plants, the foliage gradually begins to dry out, the growth and development of shoots is suspended, and if steps are not taken in time to eliminate the parasites, both the crop and the bushes themselves will be threatened. And today we want to tell you about how to deal with the scallop on the currant and what needs to be done so that it does not start again in the summer cottage.

Pest Description

A scabbard is an insect from the family of Hemoptera. The size of this pest is so small (no more than 3-4 mm) that it is quite difficult to see it with the naked eye on plants. The insect got its name thanks to the shell (shield) with which its body is covered.

Typically, clusters of scutes can be found on the underside of leaves and on the stalks of currants, in those places where the leaves adjoin them with their cuttings. Outwardly, the parasites look like small specks and only with a detailed examination of these spots you can recognize a dangerous pest.

Malware

The scabbard that appeared on the currant threatens with the loss of the entire crop and the death of the bushes themselves. These parasites are quite dangerous and can destroy extensive currant plantations in 2-3 years. Infection occurs, as a rule, through new seedlings, purchased substrate, or they are simply spread in the garden by animals, rain and wind.

On a note! If a large accumulation of these pests is found in production, then in this case a ban on the export of young seedlings and fruits is immediately introduced!

Scabies feed on plant juices. Taking almost all nutrients from the bushes, they disrupt the process of photosynthesis and deprive currants of vitality. And as a result, the leaves and shoots dry out and after some time the bush dies.

Agrotechnical events

The main agricultural technique, which can help in the fight against scale insects, and provides the proper prevention of infection, is the earthing up of plants. Moreover, this must be done in late autumn when preparing the bushes for winter. With the advent of spring, when all the snow is gone, earthen mounds from under the plants are removed.

If the scale insect nevertheless appeared on the currant, all infected bushes must be immediately isolated. To do this, they are usually just covered with plastic bags. Then it is important to carefully examine the nearby specimens. Next, an active fight against parasites is carried out, in which both chemical preparations and folk remedies can help.

However, I would immediately like to draw your attention to the fact that it is quite difficult to destroy adult individuals with any solutions, we can say that it is almost impossible, since they are protected from toxic substances by a dense carapace. For this reason, you will have to remove them from the bushes mechanically - manually. It is more convenient to do this with a toothbrush, cotton pad or sponge.Wet the selected tool in a thick soapy solution and wipe all the shoots and leaves on the infected plants.

Important! You should wipe the bushes carefully, processing each leaf and branch, and even if, as you think, nobody is on them! Otherwise, the scale insects you missed will continue to multiply and will soon increase the number of colonies!

Use of chemicals

In the fight against scale insects on blackcurrant, neonicotinoids of a contact action show themselves in the best way. And the most popular and effective of these drugs are:

• "Aktara";
• "Colorado";
• Apache
• Mospilan;
• "Tanrek."

In order to complete the treatment of infected plants, the insecticide must first be diluted in water in the proportions prescribed in the instructions. Then the working solution is poured into a bucket and the currant bush is immersed in it. It is important that the liquid covers all branches and leaves. Plants can simply be sprayed, but, as practice shows, the above method of using insecticides gives the best result.

Important! It is necessary to carry out processing several times. In this case, the chances of the complete destruction of sexually mature individuals increases significantly. In addition, remember that there are always pest eggs on the infected plant, from which new shields will soon appear!

Organophosphorus and hormonal preparations can also be used to combat scabies. The former include Kemifos, Iskra, Alatar and Actellik, while the latter include Admiral and Piriproksifen.

However, in this case, it is important to remember that they can provoke a strong allergic reaction in the handler himself, and therefore it is better not to use them for people with allergies and bronchial asthma.

The use of folk remedies

With pests of currants, including scabies, it is quite possible to combat folk remedies. Among them are infusions and decoctions based on plants and soap solutions. Consider the most effective.

• Garlic infusion. It is necessary to take the middle head of garlic and pass the peeled cloves through a press. The resulting mass is filled with 200 ml of water and left for two days at room temperature. The finished product is filtered and used to spray infected bushes.
• Tobacco infusion. We take 80-90 g of shag or tobacco from strong cigarettes without a filter and fill it with a liter of water. We leave the mixture in a warm place for 24 hours, after which we filter and dilute the resulting concentrate in a liter of water. We spray the plants with the finished product or soak them by immersing them in a bucket of tobacco infusion.
• Pepper broth. Grind 50 g of fresh pods of hot pepper, pour half a liter of water and cook for five minutes with a slight boil. Leave the broth at room temperature for 24 hours, then pass through cheesecloth. We dilute every 10 ml of the obtained product in a liter of water, add a little shavings of laundry soap and process the infected currant bushes.
• Soap solution with the addition of oil. For one part of laundry soap, you need to take three parts of vegetable oil. We mix the components and wipe with the obtained preparation the branches and leaves of the currant bushes affected by the scab. After a few hours, wash off the rest of the solution with warm water.

The above folk remedies are used two to three times at weekly intervals. But just remember that it is advisable to spray the plants in the early morning or evening after sunset.

Folk remedies are used mainly in cases where the intensity of infection is not too high. In such situations, they are quite capable of bringing the expected effect. However, if the scabs do not disappear after their use, then it is necessary to begin the fight with the help of chemicals.

It is quite difficult to fight a scab on a currant and the whole process takes a decent amount of time. However, if the problem can be detected in time and treated with infected plants in accordance with all the rules, then it is quite possible to destroy parasites.But after the pest leaves your site, do not neglect prevention. It consists in proper care of plants, which includes watering, competent dressing and preparation for winter. Having listened to all the recommendations and fulfilled them in full, you can have full confidence that the malicious scutellum will never appear on berry bushes again. We wish you rich harvests!