Cabbage fly and measures to combat it

Undoubtedly, the primary goal of every trucker is to get a rich harvest on your own private plot.

Unfortunately, on the way to this always there are insects and pests that are eager to destroy vegetable crops, reducing the work of the summer resident to zero. Special efforts in this regard are provided by the cabbage fly.

Often, the owners of suburban real estate, engaged in growing vegetables, after a while notice that the white-flesh begins to wither. Many explain this with a banal moisture deficit, so they immediately get watering hoses and water the cabbage to the maximum, confidently counting on that in a day or two the plant will come to life. However, time passes, but the beds with white cabbage continue to be in the same, and sometimes even worse state, and then gardeners start to wonder what is the matter, and some even experience a slight panic.

And everything is explained not by lack of moisture. The crop was damaged by a cabbage fly. This is a very dangerous pest for white-headed.

What is this insect

It should be noted that the adult specimen of the insect in question does not cause any damage to the cabbage. Another thing - the larvae of a cabbage fly. They are the ones that destroy the white-blooded. However, not everything is as bad as it might seem at first glance. Of course, you can not save cabbage with a fly swatter or a conventional Velcro, but the means of struggle against the above pest still exist, and it's not just about chemical preparations.

It should be emphasized that two kinds of insects cause damage to the crop: spring cabbage fly and summer. In this case, there is no particular difference between them, except that the former is the "descendant" of the second.

Beginner farmers should know that both variations of this insect can cause huge damage to cabbage beds. Do not forget that summer flies do not fly away for the winter, staying in the kitchen gardens until the spring, and with its arrival they start to give offspring, which then grows into spring "copies".

Distinctive signs of a pest

In fairness, it must be said that visually cabbage fly does not differ much from the ordinary. Nevertheless, it has slightly smaller dimensions and a lighter coloration than the latter.

When there are larvae

The beginning of the phase of the appearance of larvae of spring flies is the period of flowering of the lilac, when the soil at a depth of 8 centimeters warms up to about +10 degrees Celsius. And it is this moment that is the starting point of all the ills that this insect is able to inflict. Why? Everything is very simple. Female spring cabbage fly is ready to perform reproductive function - it lays up to 150 eggs. And it does this on the root neck of the vegetable or in the immediate vicinity of it under the lumps of the upper soil layer.

After a week and a half of eggs hatch larvae, which cause irreparable damage to the crop.

Than the cabbage fly is dangerous

Young animals require constant nutrition, and this task is realized at the expense of the root system of white-head. And often not only it suffers, but also leaves of plants. As a result of the destruction of the rhizome, by means of which the cabbage receives nutrients, the whole vegetable dies with time.

On average, the period of damage is from 3 to 4 weeks. This time is enough for the larva to turn into a pupa. This process takes place in close proximity to the white-headed, which was food for the larva. After 21 days after the final formation of the pupa, the second generation of the above insect is born. Moreover, with the creation of favorable conditions, a third and even fourth generation of the cabbage fly may appear. The only consolation in this case will be the fact that the harm done by individuals of recent generations will not be as significant as that of the "grandparents."

Experts to minimize damage recommend regularly to rotate vegetables.

Ways to destroy a pest

Since the cabbage fly is the worst enemy of white-collar, the most urgent question for many is how to get rid of this pest.

Chemicals

One of the most common methods of fighting insects, of course, is the treatment of plants with pesticides. Currently, there is a whole arsenal of drugs that effectively kill cabbage fly. You can only go to the market or a specialized store and purchase it. Further, read the way of using the product on the label and act. You can use such drugs as "Carbophos" or "Bazudin". If you are not a supporter of the use of chemistry, then the cabbage fly, a measure of struggle with which almost everything is effective, is easily destroyed with the help of natural components.

Preventive measures

Those who are seriously concerned about the problem of how to fight a cabbage fly should remember: the best weapon is prevention. First of all, as already emphasized, do not forget about the crop rotation of vegetables.

If necessary, dispose of the stump of the plant outside your site after you have cut off the forks. Thus, you will significantly reduce the risk of spring cabbage fly generation next year. Do not forget to systematically plow the territory of the land where you grew cabbage. This will destroy most of the larvae that have already pupated.

Of course, a formidable opponent - a cabbage fly. Of course, methods of fighting this insect are not limited to one prophylaxis. What can I do?

Alternative control measures

Some experts recommend selecting soil from the plant before the procedure of hilling. To do this, remove the top layer of the earth, located within a radius of 10-15 centimeters from the plant, and to this place bring the soil from another place within the boundaries of your garden (for example, from the territory where you planted onions or carrots last year).

So, we found out that the cabbage fly is still vulnerable. Control measures against this insect can be successfully combined and combined.

A certain part of experts in the fight against insects advises to overlay each fork of cabbage with paper. First you have to prepare the paper from the paper, the diameter of which is 15 centimeters. In the middle, you need to cut a hole for the cabbage stalk, after which we make a cut along the radius of the circle to its center. The next step is to put the workpiece on a stem and lay it on the soil. Thus, you will do your best to ensure that the offspring of the cabbage fly does not appear on the stem of the seedling or the soil near it, but on a paper structure. Naturally, the eggs on the circles will soon perish, never turning into larvae.

Another part of the experienced truck farmers effectively destroys the pest by treating the plant with naphthalene or tobacco dust. Some use a color trap, treated with special glue.