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How to get rid of aphids on currants. How to get rid of aphids on currants with folk remedies

Out of more than four thousand known species aphids, about 250 of which are considered harmful to crops. Also known as green lice, aphids are one of the most prosaic and successful garden pests around the world. Moreover, the same species are found everywhere, which is quite rare for the world of insects. These tiny pests pierce the stems of plants, preferring the tenderest and freshest ones to enjoy rich nutrients juice, thereby depriving the plant of growth and strength.

In addition, aphids also often carry viruses that infect the host plant as the insect feeds. These viral pathogens are often "lethal" to crops such as potatoes, citrus fruits and grains. As for currants of all kinds, high yield and abundant branching of the bush is not to be expected.

Also, the honeydew secreted by aphids as they live creates a favorable environment for the growth of smoky forms of mold, which quickly spreads and covers the leaves of the plant in a dense layer, depriving it of sunlight.

While aphid infestations can start slowly, the insects multiply rapidly and large colonies of these pests can easily wipe out entire crops if the plants are not treated promptly. Fortunately, there are many ways to kill aphids using a variety of natural and organic means that do not endanger the health of the garden and the person. Today we will talk about just such options for dealing with aphids on currants, which the pest attacks most often and everywhere.

How to get rid of aphids on currants - simple and proven ways

Below we present an outline of the most relevant and harmless methods that will help to destroy aphids most effectively in a short period of time. Although this indicator directly depends on the effort, attention and time spent. It is worth noting that if currants are treated from aphids in spring, the effect will be much stronger, since during this period the plant is actively “gaining momentum” in growth and preparation for flowering, and pest activity of insects significantly delays these processes.

Physical removal

With small aphid infestations, and also if the cultivation of currants is not put on an industrial level, physical removal of pests from the bushes will be a good attempt. To do this, you need a pair of gardening gloves and a hard brush, which will literally sweep pests from stems and leaves.

It is worth emphasizing that if there are especially many aphids on separate branches currant bush - they can also be cut off and destroyed. If it is not possible to cut off the branches, they can be bathed individually in concentrated soapy water, and after a few hours wash in clean water. This procedure should be carried out when direct rays do not fall on the branches of the plant. Sun rays in large volumes.

water pressure

The oldest and most proven method is to flush aphids with a hose. Currant leaves contain a sufficiently large amount of fiber, therefore they are quite resistant to the environment. negative impacts, including low temperature water, which comes from the central water supply system.

However, don't stress yourself out. cold water young shoots and leaves of currant. In this case, such processing is best avoided.

Among other things, the jet of water should not be directed to neighboring plants, because with it, the aphid will safely move to the "neighbors".

Soap and water

Basic chemical and physical characteristics mild household cleaners make them ideal for mild to moderate aphid infestations.
To prepare a working solution, dilute a few tablespoons detergent for washing dishes in a small bucket with warm water and use a sponge or sprayer for processing, paying more attention to those parts of the plant where aphids are always more - the lower surfaces of the plants, the base of the leaf and the highest point of each branch, where young leaves are tied.

Upon contact with the body of an insect, the soap dissolves the wax protective covering, sucks out bodily fluids and eventually kills insects without harming the plant.

It is important to note that most types of soap also kill beneficial insects. Caution should be exercised when using this remedy for garden plants, since the death of the population of natural predators of aphids, such as ladybugs, hoverflies and lacewings will leave the door open for new aphid colonies to populate.

Neem oil

This product is used in much the same way as dishwashing detergent. The oil can be diluted with water and sprayed onto aphid-infested currant branches. organic chemical substances, present in neem oil act as a repellant, and against not only aphids, but also a wide range others garden pests, including cabbage worms, beetles, ants and caterpillars. In addition, the oil has an effective antifungal effect, so it will serve as an additional benefit in combating the spread of many types of moldy pathological fungi that infect plants.


Neem oil does not predominantly kill beneficial insects, but it can repel them. For this reason, this and any other form of repellant insecticide should be used with caution.

Essential oils

The essential oils of plants, which give them the appropriate characteristic aroma, for the most part, have not only a repellent, but also an insecticidal effect. Realizing this, people have long used them in pest control.

To process currants, you can create a cocktail of equal parts of thyme, mint, cloves, rosemary oils. 4-5 drops of each of them per 1 liter of water should be enough. Next, mix this solution in a small spray bottle filled with water. Next, you need to shake well and process all the bushes completely. This powerful blend essential oils kills most insect pests, including aphids, as well as their eggs and larvae. In addition, this combination also works great as a repellant. general purpose on outdoors or indoors, while having a fairly pleasant smell.

insecticidal soap

On the market there are pest control products such as insecticidal soap. It must be emphasized that against arachnids, for example, spider mite, such a tool will be extremely ineffective, but against insects, which include aphids, the effectiveness will be the highest.

Insecticidal soaps can be produced in dry form or as a liquid concentrate, and it can also contain chemicals that enhance the insecticidal effect. Which tool to choose is up to the buyer, but you need to remember that if there is no special need for chemistry, it is better not to abuse it.

It is necessary to prepare a working solution of soap in strict accordance with the instructions, as a rule, directly on the day of treatment, since active substances quickly lose their properties when combined with water.

Natural predators of aphids

The most famous enemy of aphids in our middle lane Russian are ladybugs. Other insects are more thermophilic, so attracting them and even more so keeping them is worth considerable effort. In one of our articles, we talked about how you can do this by building a special facility for breeding beneficial insects on your site.

In some cases, much more interesting solution will be the acquisition of a population of ladybugs. Although there are very few places where these useful insects are grown in our time, unlike the United States, where you can buy a kilogram of ladybug larvae in almost any rural shop.


One way to attract insect predators is to plant fragrant plants, such as wild garlic or catnip, whose flowers attract these tiny predators. It is also useful to grow clover, mint, dill, fennel, yarrow around the perimeter of the garden, naturally attracting ladybugs and lacewings.

Another method of naturally controlling aphid populations is to encourage birds such as wrens or tits to nest around the garden. the best way to attract these delightful aphid eaters will be the offer of food and nesting sites. These birds prefer to settle in crowns. small trees and shrubs that provide them with good cover.

They are also attracted by plantings of hydrangeas, abelias and other shrubs with dense foliage, in which birds can not only hide from predators, but also wait out unfavorable conditions. weather. Evergreen bushes and trees are also great choices for attracting birds that prey on aphids. Small birdhouses specifically designed for these species are another great option.


In addition, the bait in the form of food, which attracts small birds, plays an important role. Black sunflower seeds, pre-shelled sunflower seeds, and various finely grated nuts will provide a good bird density. The main thing here is not to allow an overabundance in feeding, since a large number of well-fed birds will not provide anything more than confusion, noise and pollution of the territory.

ant rearing

Honeydew, excreted during feeding by aphids, is a favorite food for many species of ants, as it contains a large amount of simple carbohydrates that have a strongly sweet taste. Ants, when they find a colony of aphids, do everything possible to protect it, including from predators, just as people protect their flock of sheep from wolves.

Ants themselves are also very useful, so blindly destroying them, without much need, is absolutely not worth it. But to offer them something that could distract them from "herding" their "herd" of aphids is quite possible. A good option is to place small portions of honey or sugar syrup. In any case, ants will pay attention to such a “present” and betray their aphids, and predators will have great opportunity enjoy them.


natural repellents

As we noted above, essential vegetable oils, which have a strong odor, are good repellant insects and aphids are no exception. For this purpose, many gardeners plant plants around their beds or in areas where currants grow. Onions, garlic, and some flowers are excellent for this purpose, as well as some flowers, such as nasturtium, aster, pink stock rose, larkspur, begonia, verbena, dahlias and zinnia.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that any human intervention in natural processes can lead to unforeseen and irreversible negative phenomena.

Trying to kill aphids in your garden does not necessarily mean total annihilation these pests. To take this example, if there are no aphids to be the dinner of predators that naturally consume these insects, then there won't be any.

Birds and ladybugs, let's say, will certainly scatter in all directions in search of more abundant sources of food, and this, as you know, will lead to a backlash. At the moment of the next arrival of the first female aphid seeker, who is looking for a new place for settling her future colony in the garden, there will be no one who could interfere with her in this, which means that the aphid population will quickly grow to large limits.

Instead of wiping out all the aphids in sight, it's a good idea to make an effort to grow plants that are hardy enough to withstand small aphid attacks. The right fertilizer and watering will allow currant bushes to grow, for example, strong enough to fully withstand a small amount of damage caused by pests. Once a balance is achieved between predators, prey and host plants, you will never have to worry about overpopulation of aphids in your garden in the following seasons.

Do you have black, red and even white currants growing on your plot? Then you know firsthand that the plant is often affected various diseases. Aphids have a special place on the list. dangerous pests. It manifests itself in swellings on plants, and blackcurrant leaves roll into a tube.

Aphids often appear on white and red currants: red-haired or hairy. shoot gooseberry loves blackcurrant. Disease develops with auspicious days, it is often in heat and drought.

All the wonderful wonderful warm days delight not only people, but also this pest. Treatment of currants from aphids should be carried out regularly, because in general life cycle the pest is very short, and about 16 generations can live on a plant in one season!

Aphids are small and harmful insect(about 2 mm). If there are a lot of aphids, and they have accumulated next to each other, then they look like large spots. The insect feeds on the juice of the leaves, sucks it from the back. Even minimal settlements take away the strength of the plant. Currant leaves first curl and then die. The waste of aphids on currants is honeydew, which ants love to eat. It is they who are considered pest distributors, they protect aphids and transfer them from one plant to another. Ants and aphids are a natural symbiosis of two species, it is important to destroy not only aphids, but also ants.

You can deal with aphid colonies by the following measures:

1. Rolled leaves are immediately plucked and burned.

2. Use a solution of ash and shag (350 grams per 10 liters of water). They spray currants and process each leaf.

3. Washing the sheets and spraying the bush with a solution of soap and soda will give an excellent effect (a lot of soap + 1 tbsp soda + 1 liter of water).

4. Aphids on currants do not like celandine, so it can also be used by preparing a solution (4 kilograms of celandine + 10 liters of water).

5. You can simply wash each leaf and shoot laundry soap.

In addition to these folk methods, the treatment of currants from aphids can be carried out using special preparations: vofatoks, karbofoks, kinmiks, aktar, rokivoort.

Industry Offers wide choose professional tools, you can choose any, but no matter what product you prefer, spraying will have to be carried out 3 times:

1. In the spring, even before bud break.

2. After the formation of sheets.

3. In summer period time, 25 days before the harvest, often this is either the middle or the end of summer. It all depends on the variety of currant.

Prevention of the appearance of aphids on currants

For prevention purposes, next to currants, you can plant plants that insects do not like: mint, onions, basil, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, marigolds, coriander and tansy. by the most in an efficient way is to find and destroy anthills. Fighting aphids is difficult, but possible.

Aphids on currants can greatly weaken the plant, deprive the crop and become a real disaster for the gardener. Therefore, gardeners are interested in questions about how to deal with aphids on currants, and how to treat currants from aphids.

The aphid is a very small insect, the largest specimens reach 2.2 mm in length, its appearance can be noticed only by the changes that occur with young leaves. Red or yellow swellings may appear on them, most often this occurs with the leaves of red and white currants. This testifies to the vital activity of the gall or currant hairy aphid.

On blackcurrant, the appearance of gooseberry or shoot aphids is marked by twisting of the leaves. It is necessary to get rid of this pest from the very first moment of detection - they can cause too much trouble.

As soon as young leaves begin to bloom, the first generation of aphids appears from eggs, which in autumn the females laid under the bark of young annual shoots. These first individuals feed on the juice of young leaves, after a very short time a new generation appears, and aphids breed especially quickly in dry, hot weather.

By the middle of summer, when the growth of new leaves slows down or stops, the first generation of aphids with wings appears, this allows it to move to other plants, it occupies weeds in the neighborhood, extending further into the garden. And in the fall, the fertilized queens return to the currant to lay their eggs under the bark of young shoots.

You can see currant aphids when a huge number of these small pests stick around the tops of young shoots, sit with bottom side leaves, causing them to warp and wilt. Bushes infected with aphids lose a lot of strength, stop growing, their crops become worse in quality and quantity, young fragile bushes can die irrevocably if the fight against harmful aphids on currants is not carried out.

Fighting with chemicals

Most effective remedy- These are special chemicals that can be bought in stores. They do not scare away, but destroy pests. Along with them, bees and other beneficial insects can suffer, so summer residents, owners of private gardens on their small areas they try to avoid their use, or delay it until the last moment, hoping to get rid of aphids on currants with more gentle folk methods.

Processing currants with the well-known insecticides Karbofos, Vofatoks, Kinmiks will show how to get rid of aphids in a short time. Often use drugs "Aktara", "Rovikurt", "Aktellik", "Novaktion". All of them have certificates and specifications from the manufacturer, instructions that must be followed very strictly when using.

There is a whole group of expensive products, maybe that's why they are more rare in our stores, which can also be used in the fight for your garden. These are "Assail" or "Neemix", produced in India, "Exirel" and "Sivanto", which are very dangerous for bees and fish, "Admire", which is used to cultivate the land to destroy root aphids.

Thanks to the development chemical industry The choice of funds is huge. You just need to be very careful about their use - you need to treat them with plants before or at the very beginning of bud break, after harvesting. It happens that we save the bushes, risking harm not only beneficial insects, but even for those who will eat berries, this is when the treatment is carried out during flowering or immediately after it.

Experts warn that last application chemistry should occur no later than a month before harvesting the fruit. Experienced gardeners recommend the use of chemistry in early spring and in the fall, and in the summer, still use one (or several) of the folk recipes, although this will take more time and effort.

If aphids have occupied not only currants, but also settled on gooseberries and roses, then insecticides will have to be used, and it is better not to waste time on doubts.

Folk methods of struggle

The chemical industry has been developing for a couple of centuries, and currants have been grown a little longer, and aphids were not born in the last century - all this time people saved their crops. Folk methods can be used today. For example, as soon as you notice traces of aphids on your bushes, you should wash them, especially young shoots, the undersides of all leaves, with a strong stream of water to get rid of the bulk of the pests. After that, you need to process the plants in the most thorough way, without missing a single leaf or shoot with one of the infusions.

Good results are shown by the use of infusion of onion or garlic, in addition to repelling aphids, they also enhance the immunity of plants, help them resist many diseases. Infusion tomato tops they do it in the summer during the pinching of tomatoes, and after collecting the flowers of fragrant marigolds, filling them with water, after a couple of days they get the same fragrant infusion. Both of these infusions protect not only from aphids, but also from other pests. From herbal remedies, for infusions they also use celandine, wormwood, hot pepper.

You can infuse wood ash for several days or soda ash, tobacco or shag. The technology for preparing infusions is that a certain amount of a substance is poured into water, insisted from several hours to five days, then filtered. So, tobacco is taken 0.5 kg for 10 liters of water, after straining it is diluted with another ten liters of water. Marigold flowers are collected in half a bucket, filled with water to the very edge of the bucket, insisted, and after straining, no more water is added.

  • From hot pepper prepare a concentrate (1 kg of pepper + 10 liters of water, boil for 1 hour), then each glass is diluted in 10 liters of water.
  • 4 kg of tomato tops are boiled for 0.5 hours in 10 liters of water, then diluted five times just before spraying.
  • It is not necessary to dilute the infusion of garlic with water. It is enough just to chop half a kilogram of garlic heads, pour five liters of water and leave for a day.
  • Onion infusion is prepared from green feathers - one kilogram of chopped greens is poured into 10 liters of water and infused for 6 hours, after which it is filtered and used. Maybe 0.5 kg onion peel pour 10 liters of water and leave for 4 - 5 days.
  • Well proven infusion of wood ash with wormwood. They take 0.5 kg of wormwood, a glass of ash, pour all this into 5 liters of water, insist 5 hours, dilute the filtered solution twice.
  • Soda ash does not even need to be insisted, they take 1 tablespoon, pour 1 liter of water and stir well.
  • If you use celandine grass for pest control, then you need to protect yourself with personal protective equipment, since its juice is very poisonous. They take 4 kg of fresh grass, grind it, pour 10 liters of water, insist for at least a day, then filter and process the currants. All this must be done with gloves.

It is better to spray the plants on a fine evening of a calm day, you need to process each leaf on both sides, each twig, the ground under the bush. Young shoots need to be treated most carefully, their flexibility will help - you can simply dip the shoot into a bowl of liquid. In order for the active substance to remain on the leaves longer, laundry soap is added to any of the listed infusions and solutions.

Prevention

Everyone already knows how to deal with harmful aphids on currants, but the important question is how to prevent aphids from entering your bushes. There are a number of measures, the regular implementation of which will reduce the possibility of infection. With annual pruning, you need to remove all the affected shoots, it’s definitely better to be safe here. Be sure to weed out the weeds around the bushes, in autumn and spring, thoroughly dig the ground under and around the bushes.

Ladybugs and lacewings do an excellent job of freeing the garden from aphids. If they live in a garden, then aphids will never disturb your plants, but widespread use chemicals broad action reduced them to a minimum in the dachas. To attract them, you can sow marigolds, yarrow, tansy, allisum, dill, parsley between currant bushes. Often ladybugs live on buckwheat. But you need to get rid of the ants, otherwise, no matter what you do, the ants will always bring aphids into the garden.

Bushes can be periodically powdered crushed into dust wood ash or tobacco. It is desirable to do this after rain, so that the dust lingers longer on the leaves, carefully process the underside of the leaves and all young shoots.

Preventive methods are usually time-consuming, but they can really rid the currant of aphids, and the owners do not have to deal with pests, risking crops or even their health.

Video “Fighting aphids on currants”

From this video you will learn how to get rid of aphids on currants.

Aphids on currants are a fairly common phenomenon. It damages all types of shrubs. On red and white, red-gall aphids are more common, on black - leaf and shoot varieties. Treatments are very effective in combating aphids, and at the same time, it is quite difficult to deal with aphids due to their high reproduction rate.

Aphid classification

Currants are attacked by several types of aphids:

  • red gall aphid, found mainly on red and white currants;
  • shoot aphids attack black, red and white currant;
  • leaf aphid infects all species;
  • flower aphids on currants are relatively rare.

All types of pest have wingless and winged forms.

Biological features of the pest

Wintering eggs are laid on the bark of young shoots next to the buds. The eggs are fusiform black and easy to see.

Aphid eggs.

In the spring, larvae emerge from them, feeding on the juice of young leaves and shoots. After larvae molt, adult wingless individuals appear, continuing to feed on currants. This generation of the pest reproduces asexually (parthenogenesis). An aphid colony on a currant can reach several tens of thousands of individuals. Aphids multiply rapidly: the founding female lays hundreds of eggs. In 7-10 days, new individuals appear and also lay hundreds of eggs.

By the middle of summer, when the lignification of young shoots begins, the pest hatches a generation of winged females that fly to herbaceous plants. The winged generation may also appear when the colony has grown too much, and the food supply is not enough. The winged aphid travels very long distances.

Settled on herbaceous plants, the pest feeds on them until the end of summer. Here again several wingless generations are born. At the beginning of autumn, winged males and females appear, the process of sexual reproduction takes place. The speed of this reproduction, in comparison with parthenogenesis, is very small, but it is this offspring that endures the winter and begins a new cycle of development.

In autumn, the founding females return to the currant and lay their eggs on the young growth. During the season, 10-20 generations of pests may appear. The high migratory ability and the rate of reproduction make it very difficult to control aphids.

Currant damage caused by red gall aphids

It mainly attacks red and white currants. It affects young leaves located at the tops of one-year growth.

Insect colonies appear from the underside of the leaves and suck the juices out of them. As a result, numerous swellings (galls) of red color appear on the upper side. Indentations appear at the bottom of the leaf, in which aphid colonies sit. When insects suck out all the juices from the leaf, it curls up and dries up, and the colony moves to a new leaf.

Red gall aphids should not be confused with gall midges, which cause similar damage to currant leaves. This different types insects. The red gall aphid infects the tops of the shoots and young leaves, the gall midge settles in the lower part of the bush. The red gall aphid attacks mainly red and white currants, while the gall midge prefers black currants.

The nature of damage to shoot and leaf aphids

These pests affect all types of currants, they do not have much selectivity. In addition to it, insects can attack everything garden trees, bushes, vegetable crops and flowers.

On currants, growing annual shoots and young leaves on their tops are damaged. Aphid colonies always appear on the underside of leaves. The leaves curl into a ball, inside which sit insects that feed on their juice. As the shoots grow, the lumps remain in the middle of the branch, but the colony can move higher to the newly growing leaves, then all of them turn into lumps along the branch. In the middle of summer, insects leave the currant, and the formation of lumps stops. Damaged leaves may fade slightly and turn yellowish green, but they never fall off.

When the shoots are damaged, they bend and become thinner, numerous small punctures are visible in the places of damage. As a result, the young growth develops poorly, the wood does not have time to mature in time for the cold and freezes out in winter.

If you do not fight aphids, then the plants can dry out and die.

With severe damage to aphids of seedlings and young bushes, if control measures are not taken, the plants dry out and die.

How to deal with aphids

The fight must be carried out systematically throughout the season. It is impossible to completely destroy aphids with one treatment. All treatments must be carried out from the underside of the leaves, since that is where insect colonies are located. Processing currants on top is completely useless. At the same time, control measures are also preventive measures, protecting currants from aphids.

At least 4 treatments are carried out per season. The fight against red gall and common aphids of all kinds is carried out by the same means.

Treatment of currants with chemicals.

  1. If the bushes are slightly affected and the colony is small, Biokill or Fitoverm are used. These biopesticides are safe, do not accumulate in berries, and can be applied up to 3 days before harvest. The period of protective action is highly dependent on the weather and is 7-20 days. Upon receipt good results treatments are carried out at intervals of 10-15 days throughout the growing season.
  2. At in large numbers aphids use broad-spectrum insecticides to fight - Actellik, Karbofos, Inta-Vir, Karate, Kinmiks. Preparations are used no later than 20 days before harvest.

Treatment of currants from aphids.

Chemical means of controlling aphids are very effective, but due to the high reproduction rate, insects appear on the currant again and again. Therefore, spraying is carried out throughout the season. Preventive treatments should not be done, because insects may not arrive, and treating bushes from other pests is in itself a good prevention.

Folk remedies for fighting aphids

Folk remedies very effective against aphids. Often, if there are not so many insects yet, you can only get by with them. The essence of folk remedies is the treatment of currants with compounds containing burning and irritating substances. The aphid covers are very soft and delicate, it is extremely sensitive to such active substances. They cause damage to the integument of insects and lead to their death.

Currant processing.

  1. Prepare a strong burgundy solution of potassium permanganate, in which dilute 3 tbsp. spoons of urea. Spray the currants on the leaves from the underside.
  2. Spraying the bushes with a solution of soda ash or drinking soda (3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water).
  3. Processing with infusion of onion peel. 200 g of husks are poured into 2 liters of water, they insist for a day. The resulting concentrate is filtered, diluted in 5-7 liters of water and processed. Instead of onion peel, you can prepare an infusion of garlic.
  4. Processing bushes with infusion of tomato tops, or tansy, or mustard.
  5. Infusion of elderberry. 100 g of raw materials insist in 1 liter of water for 24 hours. Then filter, bring the volume to 10 liters and spray the bushes.
  6. Infusion of tobacco dust. 150-200 g of raw materials are poured into 2 liters of water and infused for 48 hours. Bring the volume of the working solution to 10 liters and do the processing.
  7. With the same means, you can simply wash the tops of the shoots. To all the listed products, soap must be added as an adhesive (40 g of solid or 50 ml of liquid), otherwise the drug will drain from the leaves and will not have any effect on insects. In rainy weather, spraying is done after 4-5 days, in dry weather - once every 10 days. But here it is necessary to look at how quickly the pest multiplies, and adjust the timing.
  8. On blackcurrant, the tops of the shoots with leaf clumps are removed. This cannot be done on red and white currants. Here you will have to wage a stubborn fight against the pest, alternating chemical and folk remedies.
  9. A good way to deal with aphids is to attract their natural enemies - predatory bugs, lacewings and, of course, ladybugs.

Ladybugs and their larvae feed on aphids. Ladybug larvae look like small worms with spots on the sides. Often summer residents take them for pests and destroy them. You need to learn to recognize these helpers.

Ladybugs - assistants in the fight against aphids

Ladybug eggs are elongated oval, yellow. Females lay them on those plants that are most often affected by aphids, so that future offspring have a food base.

The larvae are initially small, about 1 mm long, very scary in appearance, similar to monsters from the world of insects. As they grow, they molt 3 times and by the end of the larval stage reach a length of up to 1 cm.

The body of the larva is jointed, dirty gray or black with a blue tint. Hairs grow on segments of the body, which look like spikes. Orange spots with spike-like outgrowths are symmetrically located on the back.

At the sight of them, a feeling of disgust arises (such a thing started in my garden!) And a desire to immediately destroy them. There is no need to rush, with a large number of ladybug larvae, the fight against aphids comes down to not preventing them from eating.

Ladybug larvae are very agile and extremely voracious. In search of food, they can climb the bushes to the very tops and eat up to 300 aphids per day. When in danger, the aphid releases a special aromatic substance that warns the colony about the attack of predators. Winged individuals fly away, wingless ones become prey for larvae.

This is how ladybug larvae save currants from aphids.

The growth rate of ladybug larvae depends on a sufficient amount of food. The more it is, the faster the transformation occurs.

It is necessary to study the signs of ladybug larvae well. If the bushes are processed, then both helpers and pests will die, but aphids will reappear, but ladybugs are unlikely, since their development cycle is much longer.

Ladybugs themselves also feed on aphids. They are no less voracious than their larvae. Thus, ladybugs simply save currants from aphids.

Aphid attack prevention

The pest's biggest friends are ants. They graze the aphids, collect their sweet secretions and transfer the insects to a new place. Therefore, the fight against aphids includes the removal of all ants from the garden.

But in general, prevention does not give the desired effect, since the winged female can fly from anywhere and at any time. The most effective prevention- this is a well-timed fight against aphids.

Video "Aphids on the currant"

" Currant

Each currant berry is an incomparable storehouse of vitamins, a source for delicious homemade preparations, fruit drinks and filling for pies. Without exaggeration, good bountiful harvest inflated pot-bellied shiny berries - the desire of any gardener. It is quite real, with the right variety of bushes, taking into account the climate, and proper care for them.

The reasons why leaves and whole fresh shoots begin to dry are most often fungal infections and pests.

  • spider mite;
  • kidney tick;
  • currant glass;
  • currant leaf midge;
  • currant gall midge;
  • leaf gall aphid;
  • gooseberry shoot aphid.

Currant is sick from the following infections:

  • sphere library;
  • anthracnose;
  • septoria;
  • columnar rust;
  • goblet rust.

Most often, currant bushes suffer from a variety of aphids and bud mites.

Kidney tick, methods of dealing with it

This pest lives on the currant bush all its life. Very small insect, the body length of the female is only 1.5-3 mm, and the males are even smaller. Insects hibernate and lay their eggs in the buds of the plant. When the larvae hatch, there is not enough space for them, so they move to neighboring buds, capturing new shoots. Thus, the entire currant bush is affected, and then the neighboring currant bushes and other plants - raspberries, gooseberries and others - also fall ill.


Of course, when struck by a pest, the shoot does not develop. If such branches grow, then only in a mutated form. Accordingly, the yield also decreases. In addition to reducing the number of berries, mites cause other harm. They carry many of the infections that plants can suffer from, including viral curl or marbling. In this disease, the leaves curl and become sticky, much like an aphid infestation.

There are a lot of methods for dealing with ticks that have settled on currants:

Pouring boiling water

The way to solve the problem in the most environmentally friendly way and with minimal cost. The method is quite effective - all larvae die during scalding, and the bush is only getting stronger and stronger.


The use of boiling water has its own nuances:

  • no need to use boiling water a temperature of 60-80 degrees is enough;
  • branches will be more convenient to pour if tie them together;
  • ticks begin activity with the first warm rays, if the bush has already begun to bloom, then it can not be watered with boiling water. Processing must be done before the appearance of "green haze";
  • pouring can also carry out additional late autumn .

Manual removal

This method requires concentration and patience. It is necessary to sort the kidneys in order to remove the tick in early spring, before they open.

This method has two significant drawbacks.. Firstly, it is very difficult to distinguish a visually healthy kidney from one in which the larvae lurk. Secondly, there is a high probability of cutting off full-fledged healthy shoots, especially at the end of the inspection of the plant.

When choosing this method, all removed kidneys must be collected in one bucket and burned.

Sulfur chemicals

most popular and effective drugs based on sulfur, these are:

  • colloidal sulfur;
  • lime-sulfur decoction.

Ticks do not tolerate sulfur in any form. Preventive spraying with sulfur-containing solutions is a guarantee that pests will not settle on the bushes.

If the plant is severely affected, then you need to prepare a sulfur solution in proportions of 10 grams per 1 liter of water, and treat the plant with it. Bushes are treated with sulfur twice:

  • before flowering or at its beginning, a 2% solution is used;
  • after flowering - 1% or 1.5% mixture with sulfur.

There is a significant risk of remaining in the year of processing in this way without a crop, however these chemicals completely destroy both the tick itself and fungal infections. It is important to follow the recommendations specified in the instructions for chemicals in order to comply with safety measures when working with it.

pruning

This is an extreme, drastic measure. If the tick suddenly turns out to be resistant to everything in the world, and this, although very rare, but it happens, the plant is cut off at the root in late autumn, or it is completely dug out, that is, it is completely destroyed.

After the destruction of the diseased bush, as well as after its pruning, all the tools with which the work was carried out must be disinfected, if possible, it is also good to ignite additionally.

Folk remedies and methods

Also, the affected shoots were doused with a cool garlic broth - 200-300 grams of peeled garlic per 10 liters of water.

If flowering has already begun, then the bushes are sprayed with decoctions from plants such as:

  • tobacco is a plant, but the tobacco that is used in production is also suitable;
  • dandelion;
  • Walnut.

Taking advantage folk recipes, you need to remember that these measures are good for a slight spread of the tick. If the area affected by the pest is large, then more effective measures should be taken.

For the prevention of tick activity, there is nothing better than acaricides.. This is the modern line chemicals a wide spectrum of action, which means help not only in the fight against ticks, but also with other pests and a number of diseases. The preparations are presented very widely in any of the gardening stores and are a complete alternative to sulfur, having its effect, but without harming the bush.

Aphids on white, black and red currants, how to fight?


Blisters on currant leaves - a sign of the appearance of aphids

Aphids usually settle on the bushes of the white and red varieties:

  • red gallic;
  • hairy currant.

The black gooseberry aphid loves the black one.

Dangerous for diseased plants and extremely favorable for aphids are weather conditions such as:

  • arid;
  • hot;
  • solar.

All the wonderful days for relaxing in the country, as if intended for barbecue and lawn mowing, are loved not only by humans, but also by aphids. You have to constantly fight this pest, since the life cycle of an individual is very short, and behind summer season can change from 10 to 15 generations in one colony of insects.

The aphid that settled on the currant is a very small insect, on average, the length of the body is only 2.2 mm. With a close accumulation, pests look like a spot of light grayish, yellow or green hues.

Aphids feed on the juice of currant leaves, digging into them from the back. Even a small settlement of these pests takes a lot of energy from the bush, significantly reducing not only the yield, but also the growth and development of currants.


The waste product of aphids is honeydew, or, as it is also called, honeydew - a favorite delicacy of ants. There is a widespread misconception that ants eat aphids, helping the summer resident to fight it. It's not like that at all. on the contrary, ants carefully protect the pest colonies and even spread aphids, transferring them to fresh shoots and neighboring bushes.

Aphids and ants are a natural symbiosis of species, therefore it is extremely important, having begun the fight against aphids, to destroy anthills.

You can get rid of pest colonies in the following ways, accepted by the people:

  • noticing leaves with swellings on the bushes, shoots with swirling clumps of leaves, you need them right there, without delay, cut and burn;
  • helps a lot spraying bushes and processing each leaf with an infusion of ash and shag, prepared in such a proportion - 400-500 grams per 10 liters of water;
  • gives a good effect manual washing of each sheet and then spraying the whole plant with a solution of soap and soda - a lot of soap and a tablespoon of soda per liter of water;
  • for aphids poisonous celandine, therefore, having prepared an infusion in the proportion of 3.5-4 kg of freshly cut celandine per 10 liters of water, you can spray the bushes, both already affected and outwardly healthy, but you need to wear gloves and a respirator, since the celandine can cause severe irritation;
  • Just wash each leaf with soap and escape, the housekeeping is best.

In addition to these widely accepted and sufficient simple ways, pesticides and insecticides can be used against aphids, such as:

  • vofatox;
  • karbofos;
  • kinmix;
  • actor;
  • rockywort.

The list of preparations offered to gardeners by the industry is quite large and varied, but whichever one is chosen, the bushes will have to be sprayed three times:

  • in spring, before bud break;
  • after the appearance of leaves;
  • in summer, about a month before picking berries (July - August, depending on the variety).

For preventive measures in order to initially scare away aphids, it is good to plant plants next to currants that it does not tolerate:

  • dill;
  • tomatoes;
  • garlic;
  • mint;
  • parsley;
  • basil;
  • coriander;
  • tansy;
  • marigold.

It will be most effective to apply comprehensive measures, including the detection and persecution of ants. It is difficult to get rid of aphids completely, but it is quite possible.

What to do if the currant dries?

There are a lot of reasons due to which the bushes may begin to turn yellow and dry, but they can all be divided into three categories:

  • natural circumstances;
  • the action of pests;
  • plant diseases.

Natural causes include weather, such as drought. Wrong place, in which the bush grows - too sunny and dry, or, conversely, stagnation of moisture, which causes rotting of the roots.

Diseases that cause plants to die are usually carried by insects. The most frequent of them are:

  • veined and striped mosaics;
  • anthracnose, a fungal infection requiring immediate action;
  • powdery mildew, both European and American;
  • cercosporosis;
  • rust, both goblet and columnar.

If the origins of the drying of currants are in weather reasons, for example, in a hot and sunny summer, then it is easy to deal with it. You just need to provide watering. Bushes drink a lot, from 1.5 to 2 buckets per day. During the ripening period of the berries, the amount of water received by the plant must be increased to three buckets.

You can not water the currant cold water, from such care, the plant can get sick. The water should warm up well in the sun. To do this, you can dial it in the morning, leaving it for the day.

In the event that the bush dries up due to rotting of the roots, due to their flooding, which is typical for a very rainy summer, the actions should be as follows:

  • pour soil under the plant;
  • around the bush, at a distance of 50-60 cm, dig drainage grooves.

After finishing heavy rains when the earth dries up, the drainage layer must be covered, since the currant is a moisture-loving plant, and under normal conditions it does not need to drain water.

If the bushes dry due to insects or diseases, then appropriate measures must be taken.

Not every modern summer resident understands the types of pests or a variety of plant diseases. That's why chemicals of wide complex action are very popular, such substances include:

  • sulfur;
  • phosphomide;
  • karbofos;
  • vitriol;
  • Bordeaux liquid;
  • phytosporin;
  • fundazol.

Fungal infections, such as anthracnose, require the prompt treatment of the bush with fungicides. The causative agent of the disease, a fungus, starts in fallen leaves. That is why it is extremely important to clean the foliage on the site and burn it. The disease itself manifests itself in the middle of summer, in the form of red-brown spots on the leaves. If the disease is not cured, the "rash" will capture all the leaves, eventually exposing the bush, and infect neighboring plants.


Red-brown spots on currant leaves - a sign of anthracnose

As preventive measures against insects and diseases are very effective:

  • currant and soil processing under it with 2% solutions of nitrofen or karbofos in the spring. Before bud break;
  • periodic spraying during the summer of bushes with foundation.

Often the currant dries simply because the bush has already grown old. In this case, either you need to rejuvenate it with pruning, or dig it up, and, having disinfected and fertilized the soil, plant a new one.

It is not so difficult to ensure that the currant bears fruit well, does not get sick and does not dry out. It is enough to meet some conditions:

  • Right choose a place for bushes, not too dry and without stagnant water;
  • provide irrigation in drought;
  • remove fallen leaves;
  • prophylactically handle plants;
  • attentively monitor the status bushes.

Subject to these simple rules, currants will definitely delight from year to year with large, juicy, tasty and very healthy berries.