Content
The larvae of the beetle often affect the planting of strawberries, since the soil under the plants is not completely dug up for several years. Caterpillars cause irreparable damage to plants, reduce yields by destroying leaves and roots. In order to save the berry plantation, you need to not only know how to get rid of the May beetle on strawberries, but also choose the right method.
The female lays up to eighty eggs, and then dies
What does the beetle larva look like?
The life cycle of an insect consists of four stages - an egg, a larva, a pupa, an imago. Adults fly out of their shelters in the spring, mate within a month and a half and lay eggs in the ground to a depth of 20 cm. After thirty to forty days, larvae hatch from them, not at all like beetles, and live in the soil for up to four years. At first they look like small white worms. In the first year, their mouth organ is not formed, therefore they feed on humus and small roots. The next year, they begin to eat the roots of trees and shrubs, and after another year they reach maturity, their appetite is maximum. During this period, the body of the caterpillars is thick, soft, white, curved in an arc. Length - from 3 to 5 cm. The head is large. Three pairs of legs are yellow-brown in color, on the sides of the body there are spiracles, the wings are not developed.
At the end of summer, they turn into pupae, which later become beetles. The cycle repeats again.
Pest signs
You can find beetles by perforated foliage, as a result of which photosynthesis is disrupted, the plants weaken, turn yellow and wither. The larva, unlike the adult May beetle, eats the roots of the strawberry and thereby causes much more harm to it. Such a plant dies, it is easy to remove it from the ground. When digging up, you can find damaged roots and the white thick caterpillars themselves. Other signs of pests on strawberries include:
- Delayed growth and development.
- Blackening of the stems.
- Lack of flowers and ovaries.
- Wilted leaves.
The caterpillar hibernates deep in the ground, at this moment it is difficult to get rid of it
What will happen if you do not fight the pest
In the first year of life, the caterpillars are small and practically harmless, but gradually their gluttony grows and in the second year the larva of the May beetle eats up the roots of strawberries and, if you do not fight the pest and get rid of it, all the bushes can be destroyed very quickly.
Beetles like sandy soils, less common on clay soils. Females are more likely to lay eggs in loose soil, so they breed very quickly in well-groomed areas with rich fertile soil. If you do not get rid of them in time, only a few individuals can damage the roots of berry bushes over a large area. Most often, pests are spread around the site when fertilized with organic matter from compost heaps.
How to get rid of beetle larvae on strawberries
To remove the beetle larvae from strawberries, you need to use one of the methods that best suits your specific conditions. Depending on the degree of damage to the area, you can apply:
- Physical methods - digging, collecting, catching, destroying.
- Agrotechnical - digging the soil, using green manure.
- Folk - the use of products and plants with a strong odor.
- Chemical - treatment with toxic substances.
Chemical preparations for beetle larvae on strawberries
The most effective means of struggle with which you can get rid of May beetle is chemical preparations. The toxins in the composition leave no chance for pests. You need to purchase them in specialized stores and from trusted sellers, and use them during the period of active growth of the bushes.
Bazudin
A non-systemic organophosphate insecticide capable of retaining its properties for up to six weeks after application to the soil. To get rid of the May beetle, use according to the instructions for the spring planting of strawberries.
With the help of Bazudin, pests are destroyed in a translaminar way
Zemlin
Toxin of contact and intestinal action. Helps to get rid of not only the larvae of the beetle, but also other pests that live in the soil. The active ingredient of Zemlin is diazonin. Spray on the soil surface and add to the wells when planting strawberry seedlings.
30 g of Zemlin's preparation is enough to get rid of crumb on an area of 20 square meters
Force
"Force" is produced in granular form, which is convenient when introduced into the soil at the time of digging. Apply one week before planting strawberries. When the larvae come into contact with the granules, death occurs after 20-30 minutes.
30 g of Zemlin's preparation is enough to get rid of crumb on an area of 20 square meters
Antikhrusch
A professional tool that allows you to get rid of pests at any stage of their development. The liquid concentrate is diluted with water and the strawberries are watered from the beetle larvae. The properties are preserved for forty-five days after treatment.
With the help of Antikhrusch, it is easy to get rid of the May and Colorado beetles, their larvae, aphids, wireworms, ticks and leafworms
Vallard
Insecticide of systemic contact and intestinal action. It comes in the form of water-soluble granules. After processing, the drug spreads through the cells of the plant, and the larvae eat them and die. It can be applied only at the root, foliage treatment with Vallar is not recommended.
Contamination of ground and surface waters with Vallar is practically excluded
The use of biological products
If the number of pests in the soil is small, it is possible to destroy May beetle larvae on strawberries with the help of biological products. They contain bacteria or fungi that are toxic to the beetle. The use of biological products in the recommended concentrations does not pose a danger to people, animals, beneficial insects and does not destroy the ecosystem of the site.
Fitoverm
The drug is applied to plants during the growing season. To be guaranteed to get rid of the beetle, you should carry out three treatments at intervals of one week. The time of protective action lasts from seven to twenty days. The disintegration period of the drug is three days. After processing, the berries can be harvested after two days.
Fitoverm is not toxic for plants, does not accumulate in them
Nemabakt
The active component of Nemabakt is an entomopathogenic nematode that serves as a medicine for soil contaminated with the May beetle. The drug is absolutely safe for people. After processing, you can get rid of pests for two years, "Nemabakt" destroys them at the larval stage and they do not have time to harm the strawberries.
The antonematoda hibernates in the cold season, and with the onset of warmth, it returns to work.
Aktofit
"Aktofit" is an acaricide of biological origin, a neurotoxin. Created on the basis of a soil fungus. Once in the body of the May beetle, the drug destroys its nervous system and leads to death. Pests stop moving and feeding after 8 hours after spraying, and you can completely get rid of them only after two to three days.
The maximum effect of the drug Aktofit is observed on the fifth or sixth day.
Folk remedies for beetle larvae on strawberries
You can get rid of the crunch with the help of folk remedies. The simplest but time consuming method is manual collection of the pest. After the onset of warmth, they rise in the soil to a depth of 20 cm. The method is inconvenient, since it will not be possible to collect all the individuals, and constant digging of the soil does not bring any benefit.
Treating strawberry bushes with onion infusion helps to get rid of the crust. To do this, 100 g of onion husks are poured into 10 liters of water and insisted for five days. After that, the liquid is diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio and the foliage and the soil under it are treated.
You can fight May beetle larvae on strawberries using a solution of ammonia (15 ml per 10 liters of water). Processing is carried out in spring or autumn.
Pest traps
Adult May beetles do not do much harm to plants, but in order to prevent mass reproduction, they should be caught and destroyed. DIY traps make this process easier and help get rid of the insect. For this purpose, they take a plastic bottle, cut off its upper part, and pour fermented jam, compote, beer or kvass into the lower part and hang it on the trees. Periodically, the tank needs to be cleaned of trapped insects and bait added.
To make a night trap, they take a jar, grease it from the inside with something sticky - grease, honey, syrup, and attach a flashlight to the bottom. At night it is turned on, attracting insects that stick and cannot get out of the trap.
In addition to beetles, other harmful insects also fall into the trap.
Planting siderates
If it is impossible or unwilling to use one of the previously described methods for the destruction of May beetles, siderates are used. They not only allow you to get rid of pests, but also improve the composition of the soil.
The site is carefully dug up and sown with lupine. Plants should be located tightly to each other so that the pests have nothing to eat, except for its roots, a real poison for May beetles and their larvae.
White clover, peas and beans are used as siderates. They are able to accumulate and retain nitrogen in the upper soil layers, which is harmful to pests.
You can get rid of the beetle by sowing mustard, which is mowed and embedded in the soil.
How to protect strawberries from beetle larvae
In order to prevent crumbling on the site and get rid of it in time, a number of preventive measures are taken:
- Mulch the soil with small straw, wood chips or bark.
- Elderberry branches are laid out on the ridges, the smell of which scares away insects.
- Cruciferous plants are planted next to strawberries - turnips, turnips or odorous plants - marigolds, garlic, onions.
- Mustard shoots and cabbage leaves are buried in the soil.
- They attract birds and hedgehogs to the site.
- Regularly change the place of planting strawberries.
Conclusion
To get rid of the May beetle on strawberries, it is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the plants, and at the first signs of damage, take measures to destroy the pests. If you miss the warning signals, you can not only lose the harvest of the current year, but also lose all plantings of berry bushes. A variety of methods of control and prevention allows you to work quickly and as fruitfully as possible.
