How to protect currants from ants and aphids

A serious problem that almost every gardener who grows currants on his plot faces is an aphid and ants. If pests are found on the bushes, immediate action must be taken. About how to deal with the invasion of insects on currants, thanks to what means you can get rid of them, read below.

Where do ants on currant come from?

Habitat aphids - the inner side of the leaves of crops. Pests overwinter under the bark of young shoots. With the advent of spring and an increase in air temperature, aphid larvae come out. As food, they choose the juice of young branches. Due to the attack of aphids, currant leaves curl up, then wither and eventually die.

Fruits on the bushes are reduced in size, the amount of yield is significantly reduced. Around July, currant leaves cease to grow. At the same time, aphids have wings. This allows insects to move to plants nearby, where aphids remain until autumn.

Did you know? Ants in a small amount bring plants exclusively benefits. They destroy the larvae of many other insect pests, and also loosen the soil around crops, so that the soil is fertilized and enriched with oxygen, phosphorus and potassium.

With the advent of autumn, insects return to the currant to lay eggs. If aphids attacked the bushes, ants will soon appear. Ants in large quantities cause serious damage to plants, so they must be disposed of very quickly.

  • The main reasons for their appearance:
  • improper planting and poor-quality care around the trunk of the plant;
  • untimely harvesting;
  • late harvest of fallen leaves;
  • aphids on trees and shrubs in the garden.

Through the earthen paths, you can easily find the settlements of ants: mounds - houses of insects. Pests quickly develop new territories, moving at high speed. Ants settle in the ground near the roots of currants. They do not quarrel with aphids, but on the contrary, form a mutually beneficial alliance.

In early spring, ants spread aphids along branches and buds, and then help her move to the leaves.

In exchange for their services, the ants receive a sugar substance produced by aphids - honey juice, which they eat. Aphid harms the surface of the currant, as it sucks out all the nutrients from the bushes.

Due to the settlement of ants in the earth, the root system of the plant suffers. Most often, currant is attacked by forest brown, black garden and sod ants. Aphids carry all types of insects, and therefore should be fought with all.

Video: Expert on currant aphid control

How to get rid of ants and aphids

It is necessary to solve the problem with an aphid attack and an invasion of ants correctly. If you choose the wrong way to fight, the number of pests will only increase. As a result of an insect attack, not only will the yield of the bushes decrease, but the plants will die at all.

There are many ways to eliminate pests from your garden plot. This can be achieved with the help of both folk remedies prepared with your own hands and chemicals purchased in a specialized store. Mechanical methods of eliminating parasites will also be effective.

Important! It is impossible to destroy only aphids or only ants. To achieve maximum effect, pest control should be integrated.

Folk remedies

In the fight against aphids and ants, folk remedies have proved their effectiveness. Their main advantage is environmental safety for currant bushes. Home remedies do not harm plants and the soil around them. You won’t have to do anything complicated.

The most popular folk remedies for pest eradication are:

  1. Boiling water . This is the easiest way to destroy ants colonies. Boil a bucket of water and, without waiting for the liquid to cool, carefully fill the anthill. First you need to unearth it. Water the anthill with boiling water for 3-4 days in a row. Only reusable processing will be effective. Over time, the insects will die.

  2. Gasoline or kerosene . Take 10 tbsp. l substances, dilute them in 10 l of water, mix thoroughly and pour the anthill with the resulting liquid. Insects will not survive because they cannot tolerate the pungent odor of gasoline and kerosene.
  3. Onion peel . 1 kg of the main ingredient must be combined with 10 liters of hot water. The tool is infused throughout the day.

    After the time has passed, the mixture is filtered, and the currant bushes should be sprayed with the finished tincture. The problem with aphids will be solved.
  4. The garlic . Take a large head, peel the vegetable from the husk, grind it with a press and pour 2-3 liters of boiling water. Insist such a mixture should be 3-4 days. Keep the container with the composition in a dark and cool place, such as a basement or cellar. With a ready-made solution, fill the anthill.
  5. Boric acid. In combination with any jam, this tool will become deadly for ants. Put a sweet treat in a plate, add 1 tbsp. l boric acid, mix. Place the bait under the currant bushes. After such a meal, the ants will surely die. Instead of jam, you can use jam, honey.

  6. Celandine . It takes 3.5 kg of grass. The specified amount of celandine pour 10 liters of water. Infuse the mixture for 24 hours. After time, it remains only to strain the infusion and spray the aphid-affected cultures.
  7. Soda Soda solution with the addition of laundry soap will help eliminate aphids. The tool is prepared very simply: 1 tbsp is added. l soda for every liter of water. Ingredients add 100 g of grated soap. Mix well. The resulting solution is ready for use: spray it with affected cultures.

  8. Hot pepper. To prepare the solution, you need 1 tbsp. l hot pepper, which is filled with 1 liter of water. To improve the action, add 20 g of shag to the composition. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients and infuse the solution throughout the day. With a ready-made agent, spray the plants that the aphids have attacked.

  9. Potassium permanganate . Pour 10 liters of water into a large container. Pass 1 piece of laundry soap through a coarse grater and add chips to the liquid. Supplement the composition with potassium permanganate, gradually pouring in the substance. Stir the water constantly so that it turns a bright pink color as a result. The finished mixture is used to spray affected plants.
  10. Coca Cola. This universal remedy is effective for combating aphids and ants. The acids that make up the drink are deadly to insects. Use for spraying currants or just pour liquid into the anthills. Pests will have no chance of survival.

  11. Mustard Preparing the concentrate is easy. 60 g of dry mustard must be dissolved in a liter of water. The composition should be insisted for 3 days. Before use, add another 3 liters of water and mix well. The leaves and branches of currant are sprayed with a ready-made solution against aphids, and anthills are poured with the remains of the product.
  12. Tobacco and wood ash . Take 400 g of both components. They need to be put in a large container, pour 10 liters of warm water, mix well and insist for 12 hours. Strain the finished infusion and sprinkle the currant bushes affected by the aphid. In addition to processing from aphids, wood ash is also used as fertilizer for currant bushes.
  13. Chamomile The solution is prepared according to the instructions indicated on the packaging of the pharmacy chamomile. Infuse the mixture for 5 hours. To improve the effect, add half a piece of laundry soap to the composition, grinding it to a state of shavings. Mix thoroughly and sprinkle abundantly on the plants.
  14. Vegetable oil. The tool should water the paths of ants and fill their house. Oil envelops insects, which makes it difficult for them to move around. Difficulties arise with breathing. Over time, pests die.
  15. "Trichopolum . " The drug can be purchased at any pharmacy.

    The solution against aphids is easy to prepare: at the rate of 1 tablet for each liter of water. The finished composition should be sprayed with currants. It is recommended to carry out the procedure in the afternoon.

There are many folk methods to choose from. Stop on anyone, properly prepare the product and use.

Mechanical methods

In addition to folk remedies, there are several other methods that will help eliminate aphids and ants from currant bushes and other plants. With their help, you can permanently free the area from parasites. The main mechanical way to kill pests is pruning.

Did you know? Not all types of ants create anthills. Some species are nomads. They leave a temporary residence, go on a journey, collecting food supplies, larvae and a queen.

It is necessary to carry out it 3 times:

  1. In the spring, before the buds open, it is necessary to pour boiling water on the plants. After this, be sure to remove the diseased shoots.
  2. In summer, you need to eliminate infected branches. This method is suitable if there are few insects. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to monitor the appearance of anthills and regularly destroy weeds near currants.
  3. In the fall, cut off old, damaged and diseased shoots. Burn them with fallen leaves. After that, you should definitely dig the ground under the plants.

Another reliable way to kill aphids is to attract beneficial insects that feed on pests, such as ladybugs.

So that they arrive, plant fennel, coriander, mustard, marigolds or alissum on your plot near the currant. Near fruit bushes, it is also recommended to plant garlic, parsley, lavender, tomatoes, cloves, tansy, valerian, anise, wormwood.

Ants do not tolerate the smells of these plants. To repel pests, you can not plant plants, but lay out their greens, flowers or fruits on the ground.

Around each bush of currant, you can dig a not too deep ditch, which must be filled with any sticky substance. Ants will not be able to overcome obstacles, and therefore the plants will be safe from them.

Use of chemicals

The use of purchased drugs should be when there are too many pests and the struggle by folk methods was not effective. The most effective are chemicals that contain diazinon - a strong contact-intestinal poison. The poison enters the stomach of insects, causes severe spasmodic pain in them, and then the pests die. Ants die in 2–4 days.

Important! Use chemical preparations strictly according to the instructions. If you go too far with the proportions, a negative result will be achieved. Highly concentrated solutions will cause great damage to plants.

Diazinon is an active substance in the following preparations:

  1. "Ant" is a food supplement that does not need to be diluted with water. It is made in the form of granules. It is completely safe for fruit plants and animals. The drug is the second group of danger, therefore, it is necessary to work with the tool in protective equipment (gloves, respirator, goggles). Dig the ground around the anthill 2 cm, spread the preparation and cover it with soil. 1 sachet will be enough to process 5 square meters. m
  2. Thunder 2 . You can buy in the form of granules. It belongs to the second group of danger, i.e., the use of protective equipment is mandatory. A soil layer of 3-6 cm is removed, poison is poured and the earth is backfilled. The result will not take long: in 2-3 days the ants will disappear.
  3. "Anteater" . Ampoules (1 ml) and vials (10 ml) are available. There is a dispensing cap, so the drug is suitable for reusable use. Refers to a low level of danger. Dilute 1 ml of the product in 10 l of water and spray the bushes with the resulting composition. The prepared product is enough to process 7-10 plants.
  4. Muratsid . It does not harm the environment and is completely safe for pets. In 10 l of water you need to add 1 ml of the product. The solution is used to spray plants. The result will be noticeable very quickly: in a day pests die. The effect remains for 2-3 months. The drug can be used in enclosed spaces: apartments, houses, garages, warehouses.

You can fight aphids with drugs of different actions:

  • contact (act upon contact with pests from the outside);
  • intestinal (act after ingestion of insects from the inside).

Today, the range of chemicals suitable for processing currant bushes from aphids is quite wide.

It is necessary to process plants 4 times: before budding, during flowering, after flowering and after harvesting.

The following tools have proven themselves well:

  • Confidor
  • Fairn;
  • Fury
  • Kortlis;
  • "Aktara";
  • "Spark";
  • "Alatar";
  • "Fitosporin";
  • "Fufonon";
  • Corado
  • "Biotlin";
  • Karbofos;
  • "Commander";
  • "Tanrek";
  • Inta-Vir.

How to protect currants: preventive measures

Better to prevent the occurrence of a problem than to solve it. That is why it is necessary to carry out preventive measures for the appearance of aphids and ants on currants.

  • The following measures will help protect the plants:
  • whiten the lower part of plants, both shrubs and trees;
  • ants do not like to be disturbed, so you need to regularly loosen the earth around crops, as well as dig the soil in the garden and in the garden;
  • Do not feed currants too often, because this will do more harm than good (fertilizers attract insects);
  • on the site, be sure to plant plants whose smell repels ants, because they will become reliable protection;
  • get rid of aphids immediately after detection, so that there is no invasion of ants (it is recommended to use baking soda);
  • in the spring, before buds open, treat the bushes with anti-ants (spray the currant again when the first leaves appear);
  • carry out regular pruning of bushes, both sanitary and formative;
  • clear the area of ​​weeds;
  • do not plant corn next to currants;
  • if the buds appeared on the bushes too early, pour the plants with boiling water.

If you follow these rules, there is a chance that the aphids and ants will not bother your currants.

Video: What to do with aphids on currants

Mistakes that gardeners make

It should be understood how serious the problem is the attack of ants and the defeat of aphids by aphids. Not to attach importance to this is the gardener's main and biggest mistake. If you do not treat fruit bushes with protective agents in time, you can completely remain without a crop and lose the bushes forever. Have to plant new plants in the garden.

It is necessary to use any preparations with gloves so that toxic substances do not get on the skin.

For protection, you also need to use glasses, a respirator and be in clothes that completely cover the body. Keep in mind that weather is important. Handle currants in dry weather. If you spray the bushes when it is cloudy on the street, it is likely that the active substances will wash off in the rain. In this case, the processing will be meaningless and will have to be repeated.

To protect currants from aphids and ants, you need to adhere to preventive measures. If pests nevertheless appeared, it is impossible to delay drug treatment. Timely control of insects ensures the achievement of the desired result: the currant bushes will be freed from aphids and ants, and therefore will please a good harvest.

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