White midges on cucumbers: how to fight and what to do if they eat

Probably, many gardeners have more than once had to deal with various harmful insects at their dacha or in the garden, which cause great damage to plants, which has a detrimental effect on the harvest.

These small pests, in particular the Colorado potato beetle or aphid, annoy gardeners a lot and they are forced to find different ways to deal with them.

Their timely detection in most cases guarantees the preservation of vegetable crops. Otherwise, insect attack leads to the death of plants.

Often people do not know what kind of insects these are and what to do if they are found.

Today we will talk about other, no less harmful insects. If you notice that black midges have appeared on cucumbers and tomatoes, take urgent measures to get rid of them.

These are the so-called leafhoppers - a type of aphid that feeds on plant sap, as a result of which characteristic spotting appears on the foliage. Due to rapid reproduction, insects quickly spread throughout all plants and destroy them.

Both the seedlings you just planted and adult plants can suffer. The greenhouse will also not be able to protect them from insects. There are no guarantees that pests will not grow in closed ground.

What are midges

The phrase “midges in cucumbers” often refers to small pests with wings that settle in plantings and destroy them.
Midges do not always represent one type of insect; sometimes there are several pests at once. These insects appear not only in adult plants, but also in seedlings. For them, the time of year or the type of plant has practically no meaning. The colony is growing rapidly. The most common species is the white midge or whitefly. The larvae of this pest are especially dangerous for the plant; they penetrate the soil and spoil the roots of the cucumber.

There are also black midges. It is difficult to fight it; strong remedies are needed. Typically, midges appear when the ground is waterlogged, especially in cold weather. In hot weather, the soil dries quickly. The plant requires a lot of water.

When it gets colder, you don’t need to water the cucumbers so much. If the soil is waterlogged, it will become favorable for the spread of larvae. Often, cucumber pests are found in purchased soil, however, it is almost impossible to detect them right away.

There is no universal method of protection against midges, but it is possible to choose a product for each type. Now many manufacturers offer special broad-spectrum drugs for treatment and prevention.

It is easier to avoid pests than to deal with them later.

If you are going to plant cucumbers on your site using seedlings, prevention must be carried out at the stage of nurturing the sprouts.

Timely loosened soil, suitable fertilizers and proper watering are half the success.

If midges do appear in your seedlings, there are several popular ways to combat them:

Watering plants with a solution of manganese, which will delay infection of plants and soil;
A solution of lemon juice with liquid soap;
Also, to combat midges, tobacco or garlic is placed in the soil.

These are safe products for both humans and plants, which are excellent at repelling midges. Sometimes it is possible to cope with insects only with the help of purchased products.

It is important to choose a composition that will not harm cucumbers. Read the instructions carefully and act in strict accordance with them! If the larvae reproduce too actively, the diseased plant must be isolated from healthy ones.

The soil should also not be left in place or reused, because the pest can spread to other plants

If the larvae reproduce too actively, the diseased plant must be isolated from healthy ones. The soil should also not be left in place or reused, because the pest can spread to other plants.

Destruction of midges in greenhouses

To prevent re-infection of crops with midges, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures:

Whiteflies that eat cucumbers can hide larvae anywhere, including on the greenhouse frame. To disinfect the room, all surfaces are treated with a bleach solution.
After harvesting, remove all plants.
White midges parasitize not only cucumbers, but also other plants. Often it is the weeds that act as carriers of the larvae.
Before planting seeds in the soil, it is treated with copper or iron sulfate.

If whiteflies are infested in greenhouses, cover the entrance to the street with gauze during ventilation. It should be folded in several layers. Whitefly midges are one of the unpleasant phenomena that a gardener may encounter. If you carefully take care of the crops in your garden beds, they will reward you with a tasty and healthy harvest.

Methods for controlling aphids on cucumbers

Black aphids slow down the development of cucumbers and reduce the number of crops. As soon as the first signs of a problem are discovered, you need to select suitable control methods. There are many ways to get rid of aphids on cucumbers:

Chemicals will quickly and permanently help get rid of pests, but they should be used with caution, especially during the period of active fruiting. Biological products are used when only individual bushes are affected by aphids

They are based on living bacteria, which not only destroy pests, but also promote better plant growth. The safest are those prepared according to traditional recipes.

But it is advisable to use them at the initial stages of the problem or in combination with other means.

Drugs of different groups differ in effectiveness and duration of action. Therefore, we need to realistically assess the situation that has developed in vegetable beds.

Biological agents

Biological products are of plant origin. They are environmentally friendly. The composition will not harm birds or animals. After processing, the fruits are allowed to be eaten a few days later.

The most famous biological products that help protect plants from aphids are “Fitoverm”, “Biotlin”, “Aktofit”, “Bitoxibacillin” or “Golden Garden”. Together with the juice of the plant, the active components of the drugs enter the gastrointestinal tract of insects, causing paralysis. Immobilized pests cannot feed and die within a day.

Chemicals

Chemicals begin to work quickly. In just a couple of hours, not a single pest will remain. But there are also disadvantages:

cannot be used during flowering of cucumbers, as the compositions are dangerous for bees;
After treatment with certain drugs, fruits cannot be eaten for up to one month.

Folk remedies for insect control

In small plots, summer residents try to fight cucumber pests with folk remedies. Infusions of many plants are used: wormwood, marigolds, celandine, horse sorrel, dandelions, tobacco, onions, garlic, hot peppers, etc. Decoctions and infusions can be used once a week, repeated spraying can be done 3-4 times during the season.

Before sowing, cucumber seeds are disinfected with aloe. To do this, the planting material is kept in an aqueous solution of aloe juice (1:1) for 6 hours, washed in water and dried.

To combat aphids and whiteflies, you can use the following recipes:

Onion infusion. Chop 200 g of onion and pour in 10 liters of warm water. After a day, the infusion is filtered.
Garlic infusion. 100 g of chopped garlic is poured into 10 liters of water. Leave for 12 hours.
Orange infusion. 1 kg of dried orange peels is poured into 10 liters of water and placed in a dark, warm place for three days.
Pepper infusion. Leave 30 g of crushed hot pepper pods, 200 g of tobacco dust in 10 liters of hot water for 10 hours and strain, add an alkaline solution to the product (2 tablespoons of liquid soap and 2 tablespoons of wood ash).

Recipes for flea infusions:

Infusion of tomato tops and garlic. Take one glass of chopped garlic and tomato tops, dilute in 10 liters of warm water. Use immediately.
0.5 kg of dandelion leaves and roots (1:1) are crushed, pour 10 liters of hot water. Use a strained solution.
4 kg of potato tops are poured into 10 liters of water and boiled for 15 minutes. The cooled and strained broth is half diluted with water (1:1).

Before using chemicals, it is worth trying several folk remedies. Firstly, folk remedies are much safer, which means they will not have a negative impact on our health. Secondly, it is much more economical and is often very effective. Here are some recipes that are considered the most effective.

Red pepper will help against black midges. To do this, you need to prepare the tincture as follows: take 200 grams of tobacco dust, dissolve it in 10 liters of water. Add 25-30 grams of capsicum to the resulting solution. Before use, let it sit for about a day, and then dissolve a tablespoon of laundry soap and about 3 tablespoons of tree resin in the tincture. Spray the cucumbers, wait a week and repeat the procedure.
If there are still very few pests, try building a trap and catching them. Take a piece of yellow cardboard and apply non-drying glue or castor oil to it. Hang these traps among the cucumbers. It’s better to shake the bushes a little, then the midges will fly up and stick to such cardboards. In this case, it is necessary to destroy the laid eggs that are located on the back of the leaves. Windows and doors should be covered with gauze, this reduces the risk of new individuals appearing in your greenhouse.
Garlic solution will help against whiteflies. To do this, take 2 medium-sized cloves of garlic, chop them and mix with one liter of water. Leave in a dark place for a day, then strain and spray the cucumbers. It is enough to treat the plants 2-3 times, taking a break a week.

Effective folk remedies for fighting flies will come to the rescue:

Spraying the plants and the soil around them with a solution prepared from ground red hot pepper (1 sachet), dry mustard (3 tbsp.) and crushed garlic (3-4 cloves). Everything must be mixed, poured with water (5 liters) and allowed to brew for about three days. Carry out the treatment twice a day - morning and evening.
Pour onion peel (200-300 g) with water (3-4 l). Boil and let it brew for a day. Spray the entire plant.
Dilute laundry soap (20 g) in water (10 l). Add ash (1 tbsp) to the soap solution. Treat leaves and stems of plants.
Pour crushed tomato leaves (2 tbsp) with water (2 tbsp) and leave for a day.
Chop the garlic (3-4 cloves), mix it with sunflower oil (2 tsp). Let it brew for a day. Next, strain and add water (0.5 l) and liquid detergent (1 tsp). Before processing 2 tbsp. l. dilute the product with water (1 tbsp.).
Pour dandelions (1 kg) with water (1 bucket). Add washing powder (1 tbsp) and ground red pepper (1 bag). Leave for a day and strain. Spray the plants and the ground around them.

You will learn how to get rid of midges in an apartment from this article.

Midges on cucumbers: studying the pest

Usually, “midges on cucumbers” mean different types of small insect pests that grow near plants. At the same time, the time of year plays virtually no role for parasites. Pests are often found in purchased substrate.

Midges can be winged or arachnid. A colony of parasites tends to grow rapidly. Most often found on cucumber vines are black midges, white midges and spider mites.

Black midge (its other name is melon aphid) appears when the soil is over-watered, especially in cold weather. It is difficult to combat and requires strong insecticides.

As for the white midge (or whitefly), its larvae pose a particular danger to plants. They are able to penetrate the soil and damage the root system of the cucumber.

In addition to flying pests, you can also observe other no less formidable parasites similar to midges. A striking example is spider mites.

It is not difficult to detect these types of parasites: pay attention to the foliage and stems. They turn yellow, dry out, sometimes turn black

In this situation, the main thing is to start treatment in a timely manner, otherwise there is a risk of death of the cucumber plants.

Did you know? The green cucumber we eat is actually an unripe vegetable. Among the ancient Greeks, this vegetable was called “aguros”, which translates as “unripe”, “green”

—
hence its modern name. A ripe cucumber is unsuitable for eating; it is used only for seeds.

Black midges

The insect appears as soon as the air warms up to 10°C. It is distinguished by its black or dark green color, tiny size, not exceeding 2 mm. Black midges on cucumbers prefer the lower leaves and settle in colonies, which is why they can completely destroy nearby plantings. Like most pests, they feed on plant juices. In addition, black midges carry viruses that can lead to the death of seedlings.

Symptoms of black midges

You can detect black aphids if you turn the leaf over with the back side; sometimes the midges are grouped on the shoots. Signs of infection:

the plant weakens and withers;
the affected areas look wrinkled;
curvature of shoots;
wilting, curling of leaves, lack of ovary;
the appearance of a large number of ants, since these insects use the liquid secreted by black midges as a food source.

If black midges have been parasitizing a plant for a long time, dark spots appear on it, gradually turning into a dry crust.

How to deal with black midges

To combat the pest, both traditional and chemical methods are used. If the plant begins to bear fruit, then after treatment with insecticidal agents, the crop is not harvested for 3 days. When choosing chemicals, preference should be given to those that act on black midges through the root system.

Traditional methods are recognized as the safest:

Treatment of plants with tincture of hot pepper. To prepare it, you need to mix 200 g of tobacco dust with 30-40 g of hot pepper and add 10 liters of hot water. Keep the mixture in a dark place for 24 hours. Then strain, add a tablespoon of liquid green soap and 3 tablespoons of wood ash. Spray the cucumbers with the resulting infusion once a week.
On mature plants, black midge numbers can be reduced by spraying a stream of water from a hose. The method is not applied to young seedlings, so as not to break fragile stems.
To repel pests, marigolds, lavender, sweet peas, and nasturtium are planted.

How to get rid of white midges on cucumbers?

Midges are insects whose size does not exceed 3 mm. Some of them feed on the blood of warm-blooded mammals, others on plant juices. The whitefly belongs to the latter species - the Aleurodidae family. Adults and juveniles, larvae, suck out the juices of leaves and stems, and the white coating, producing in the process of life a white coating that prevents the penetration of ultraviolet radiation. This disrupts the process of photosynthesis. The plant develops chlorosis and then dies. Knowing how to deal with pest invasions, you can save your cucumber harvest.

Midge on tomatoes. Prevention of leafhoppers

If black midges appear on tomatoes every year, take preventive measures. For this purpose, plant plants with an unpleasant odor for the pest around the tomato beds. Onions, garlic or calendula will do. Plant onions and garlic not only around the perimeter of the plantings, but also every 2-3 rows of tomatoes.

Do not weed out dill that is accidentally sown in a tomato bed - its umbels are inhabited by predatory insects that eat leafhoppers and aphids.

Destroy weeds quickly. Adult leafhoppers sit on the weeds, ready to fly to the tomato bushes and lay eggs.

By following the recommendations, you will quickly get rid of small black midges that have settled on tomatoes.

Signs of damage by small pests on tomatoes and cucumbers:

leaves, ovaries and young shoots first turn yellow and curl, and then dry out and crumble;
on the fruits and tops you can see a sticky coating secreted by insects, called sweet honeydew; ants are very fond of it;
the bushes stop developing and begin to hurt.

Aphids usually do not touch fruits that have already set on adult plants, but young shoots or seedlings can become sick and die, since such insects are also carriers of various infections and viruses. Therefore, the optimal time to get rid of aphids on tomatoes is the period before flowering.

To prevent an aphid attack from becoming an unexpected surprise, you should take preventive measures in advance to prevent its appearance and reproduction:

The first stage occurs in the autumn season, when the harvest is carried out. To reduce the number of aphid eggs laid for the winter, it is necessary to collect and destroy all plant remains, and dig up the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm.
In the spring, in the area allocated for vegetable gardens and tomato plantings, it is recommended to treat with Karbofos to destroy the eggs and larvae of aphids.
When planting tomatoes, plants with a pungent odor are planted between the rows to repel them: dill, marigolds, celery, etc.
Throughout the season, regularly inspect the lower parts of the leaves and stems of plants in order to detect in time when white, black or green aphids appear on them, especially in greenhouse plantings.
In the area near tomato plantings, it is recommended to remove all anthills, the inhabitants of which like to breed aphids for their food.

A successful result in pest control depends on how quickly measures are taken to destroy them after aphids appear on tomatoes, because this insect is capable of multiplying at a rapid pace and destroying garden plants in a matter of days.

There are black small midges with and without wings. Its life cycle depends on the presence of ants in the garden. Ant nests serve as a home for them at night, and they can also lay eggs there. They do not have good flight ability, but in case of danger they quickly move to neighboring bushes and form mass clusters. Like whiteflies, they feed on nutritious juices and often infect the inside of leaves.

The reasons for both are similar:

warmth, high humidity, lack of wind;
planting density, both in greenhouses and in open ground;
application of untested fertilizers, incl. contaminated manure;
planting seedlings infected with pest larvae.

Under the listed climatic factors, white and black insects can spread to all crops over the summer. Pests live up to 25 days, i.e. During the warm season, several generations are replaced.

One of the signs that tomatoes have been attacked by aphids (small black midges) is wilting of the leaves. Many people decide that the plant does not have enough moisture and water it abundantly. If the pests appeared a long time ago, then dark spots appear on the stem, which over time turn into a dry brown crust.

This signals that the plant needs to be carefully inspected. Most often, a small pest with wings can be found in the lower part or axils of leaves. With an inexperienced eye, aphids may not be immediately visible, so it is better to inspect during the day when the sun is shining brightly.

If aphids are not found on one of the wilting tomatoes, inspect all the plants. Even without seeing pests, it is better to carry out preventive treatment, this will ensure that undetected individuals will disappear.

Another sign of black midges appearing on tomatoes is a large number of ant trails near the garden bed. Ants protect aphids, because the sweet liquid secreted by pests is the best food for them.

What do they represent?

White midges are various types of small insects that live near plants. Another name for such white midges is whitefly. A similar pest eats cucumbers (drinks the juice), causing the latter to die.

The size of the insect is very small, only about 1-3 mm. In appearance they resemble small moths that have 4 wings

It is worth paying attention to the fact that the larvae of this butterfly can penetrate the soil and damage the root system. It’s not difficult to notice, you just need to look at the back of the leaves

A characteristic feature of the whitefly is that it gathers in small groups under the leaves. It feeds on the sap of plants, thereby causing them great harm.

Most often found on the leaves of cucumbers grown in greenhouses. Because this insect loves high temperature and humidity, just like in greenhouses and conservatories (especially in those where ventilation is poorly developed and the plants are located close to each other).

Detecting whiteflies is very easy. To do this, just look at the leaves and touch them. If there is a sticky, shiny coating on the leaves, then this is a midge. The condition of the plant also deteriorates significantly (pests eat it). It begins to grow more slowly, and the leaves gradually curl, and over time they may even turn yellow.

Signs of pests on plants

If you notice that the seedlings have wilted, the leaves of cucumbers and tomatoes have curled and become deformed - this is an attack by insects. Many people mistakenly think that the plants have withered due to lack of moisture and begin to water them abundantly. However, after watering the condition of the seedlings does not improve.

If insects attacked for a long time, the stems and leaves become covered with dark spots and dry out over time. Therefore, it is imperative to inspect the plants.

In most cases, small pests can be found on the lower surface of the leaves and at their base.

An inexperienced gardener may not immediately see them, therefore the inspection must be carried out during the day, in sunlight.

Even if you do not find pests on one wilting plant, be sure to inspect all the seedlings and treat them for prevention. This will ensure that individuals that you may not have noticed will be destroyed.

In addition, pay attention to ant trails near the garden bed - this is also a sign of the appearance of harmful insects. After all, ants love to feast on the sweet liquid that aphids secrete.

Therefore, if a large number of goosebumps scurry along the stems of a plant, this is a 100% indicator that this particular bush has been attacked the most.

What is a whitefly?

Whitefly is an insect pest that often attacks garden crops. These are small insects - no more than 1 mm in length. The body of whiteflies is yellowish, while the wings are whitish, which is why the pests received this name. The insect has 2 pairs of wings.

These pests practically do not fly, but settle under the leaves on their underside. They stick to the leaf blades and literally drink the plant juice from them. Female whiteflies lay white-yellow larvae. They are difficult to distinguish on the leaf blade, since the diameter of one larva is no more than a third of a millimeter.

More often they are found on the green parts of cucumbers that grow in a greenhouse. This fact is due to the fact that the pest is attracted to high humidity. However, this does not mean that the whitefly only affects greenhouse plants - it can be found on cucumbers growing in open ground.

Spider mite

Spider mites mainly grow in greenhouses and greenhouses, but are also found on cucumbers in open ground

If cobwebs appear on your plants, pay close attention; most likely it is a mite.

The insect lives under a leaf, in the shade, although it loves the heat. The tick has a red color with a green tint. One female spider mite lays about 150 eggs per season, and if you do not fight this insect, the plant will die, because. these pests will suck all the juices from the leaves and flowers, drying out the sprouts.

To prevent spider mites, plant dill, parsley or carrots in the same bed with cucumbers. Ladybugs love to live on the plants listed above and they feed on mites. Also, the mite does not like moisture, and abundant watering for cucumbers only brings benefits.

If spider mites have already infested your cucumber beds, the plants can be treated with compounds that are harmless to humans and lethal to pests:

for 10 l. water, add a tablespoon of ground pepper, the same amount of liquid soap, chopped onion and a handful of wood ash. Let the solution sit for about a day and filter. Two sprayings with an interval of 5 days will be enough;
the same ingredients as in the previous recipe, only we replace the ground pepper with dried red capsicum.

Treatment of cucumbers with chemical compounds is possible only in the early stages of plant growth; the rest of the time, such spraying is simply dangerous because the poisons will not have time to get out of the fruits.

Ways to combat white midges on cucumbers

The easiest way to stop the pest is to use industrially produced insecticides. Solutions that are used most often: Fufanon, Detis, Bud, Zircon, Aktara, Karbofos, Iskra.

Preference should be given to chemicals that contain avermectin - Fitoverm, Vermitek, Akarin, or Bud, the additional effect of which is growth stimulation. In the case when the first signs of infection are noticed, the pest can be stopped using gentle folk remedies.

In the open ground

If, despite the fact that the insects have already “occupied” the underside of the cucumber leaves, no signs of damage are visible, the following methods are used:

Grate tar, laundry or green soap and make a concentrated solution - 1 part soap and 6 parts water. The leaves can be sprayed or wiped manually on both sides. At the same time, adult individuals are collected. The frequency of processing and collection is every 5-7 days. If you handle it less often, the work will be useless.
Veterinary drugs are used against parasites. Preparations in this group: includes Bars-spray, any shampoos against fleas and lice for dogs and cats. The garden bed is sprayed with a spray, avoiding contact with the green part, and the shampoos are diluted to a “strong foam” and applied to the cucumber bushes using a broom. You can wash the leaves by hand. These products are considered the least dangerous for people.
Dandelion tincture: infuse 40 g of freshly cut leaves and 20 g of dried roots in 1 liter of water at room temperature for 4 hours. Process once a week.
Garlic infusion: pour 1 liter of water into 200 g of crushed garlic cloves and leave for 5 days in a cool, dark place, maybe on a refrigerator shelf. Strain, dilute with settled water in a ratio of 1:20. Spraying is carried out after 5 days until no more midges are found on the leaves.
Yarrow infusion: pour 100 g of dried herb into 1 liter of hot water, insulate the container and let it stand for 4 days. After straining, processing is carried out at intervals of 48 hours.
Tobacco infusion can be made from tobacco purchased at a garden store, “extracted” from cheap cigarettes or cigarettes, shag. The stronger the smell, the better. Pour 1/3 cup of tobacco with boiling water (800ml-1l), leave at room temperature in the dark, insulate the container, and filter. Spray the lashes once every 3 days.

Midges do not like strong odors. To protect against pests, it is recommended to plant dill, calendula, valerian, and wormwood in the aisles.

Hang traps - sticky tapes or plates for flies. You can buy it at the store or make it yourself, lubricate pieces of cardboard with a viscous adhesive substance, such as castor oil. A more expensive trap is a medium-sized box with a bright light bulb inside. Place containers of water under a bright light source. The midge flies into a bright light, gets burned and drowns.

If traps are chosen to get rid of pests, the undersides of the leaves are hand washed with soapy water to destroy the eggs.

In the greenhouse

In a closed greenhouse, the same methods are used as in open ground. When working with aggressive infusions or chemicals, it is necessary to leave the door and frames open for ventilation. And then the greenhouse is closed and left for several hours. Before starting work, ventilate again.

For the winter, the frames and frame are removed, disinfected with antiseptic agents, and at the beginning of spring - and always when midges appear - they are treated with a solution of bleach: 400 g of the substance is dissolved in a bucket of settled water, left for 5-6 hours, filtered, and parts of the structure are washed.
They maintain a constant microclimate in the greenhouse - from 17 to 28°C, focusing on the air temperature, avoiding sudden changes.
Normalize the watering regime, avoiding flooding.
After the end of the gardening season, the soil is dug up deeply. Loosening is repeated before planting seedlings. Additionally, the soil is sprayed with copper sulfate or sprinkled with tobacco chips.
Be sure to clear the area and greenhouse of plant debris.
In the greenhouse, the rows and beds are carefully weeded. Weeds can harbor larvae.

It is necessary to use different methods, periodically changing products made according to folk recipes, supplementing with spraying with industrial insecticides. This helps prevent insects from adapting to protective compounds.

How to fight whitefly?

If a gardener notices a parasitic insect, he tries to select a fast-acting drug to destroy it. The simplest method is to use modern specialized insecticides. Solutions such as “Bud”, “Citkor”, “Karbofos” and “Iskra” have proven themselves to be excellent. If the infection has spread to most of the crops, use “Detis”, “Aktara” or “Fufanon”.

Gentle methods

If a person does not want to use aggressive drugs on the site, traditional medicine is used to combat midges. The simple ingredients used to make poisons can be found in many people's kitchens. These are ordinary laundry soap, tobacco, garlic and other products. Solutions are prepared from them, which are used to spray midge-infested crops.

Soap solution

This product helps a person in any situation. A solution is prepared from soap, which is diluted with water. It should be at room temperature. At the same time, the ratio is maintained at 1:6.

To make it more convenient, the soap is first crushed. This can be done using a knife or grater. After this, it is combined with water until completely dissolved. Then it is poured into a spray bottle and not only the green part of the cucumbers is treated, but also the ground. As a result of treatment, insects disappear from the plant in the shortest possible time.

Uses of garlic

Gardeners do not want to treat crops with chemicals. “We eat fruits and don’t want them to contain toxic substances” - this is how they explain their position. In this case, using garlic against midges is effective. It destroys pathogenic bacteria and butterflies will also not like it.

To prepare a garlic “poisonous” tincture, grind 2-3 medium-sized cloves. This is done using a grater, garlic peeler or knife. Then pour in 1 liter of boiled water. The resulting mixture is covered with a lid and left to infuse in a dark place.

Within 24 hours, the garlic will release all its beneficial substances, and the solution will be ready for use. Before spraying cucumbers, it is filtered and poured into a spray bottle. The area affected by midges is treated at least 3 times, with a break of a week. This number of procedures is enough for the midges to leave the culture.

Tobacco

Cigarettes are used to kill parasites on cucumbers. To prepare the solution you will need a pack of cheap cigarettes and water. A filter is removed from each piece and placed in a large container. When all the cigarettes are prepared, they are filled with boiled water. The liquid is infused for 5–6 days.

As in the previous case, the tincture is filtered through cheesecloth or in any other way. Pour into a spray bottle and treat the leaves every 2-3 days. Repeat the spraying procedure 3-4 times. This is enough to get rid of midges forever.

Traps

What to do besides spraying with poison to get rid of midges? Some gardeners prefer to take care in advance to ensure that parasites do not attack the plant. Special traps are made for this. The ideal option is to combine 2 methods together.

Bright paper is used as a trap, which is covered with a sticky substance. You can make it yourself or use fly catching tape. A light bulb placed inside the box is no less effective against midges. Both methods are equally good and help prevent whitefly infestations.

What to do and how to get rid of white midges?

The fight against insects should begin at the moment when they are identified on the cucumber bush. Untimely treatment is fraught with extinction of the plant’s vital activity and even its death. Before you start removing whiteflies, you need to figure out what is the best way to treat the bush.

Using folk remedies

The first thing gardeners resort to when they discover such a scourge is the use of folk remedies. Unlike chemicals, self-prepared spraying solutions are considered by vegetable growers to be less harmful to the plant and its fruits.

Vinegar solution. 1 tbsp. l. 70% vinegar is diluted in 1 liter of water. Spray the plants until the pest is eliminated.
Soap solution. Rub 500 g of laundry or tar soap into 3 liters of water and stir until smooth. You can spray the plant with the product or wipe the affected parts with a sponge. Can be applied once or repeated after 7 days.
Dandelion tincture. First you need to chop and mix 80 g of dandelion root and foliage. The mixture is poured into 2 liters of water and left for 4 days. After the designated time has passed, the tincture is filtered through a colander into a spray bottle. It is necessary to carry out two sprayings at a seven-day interval.
Tincture of celandine. The leaves of the plant in the amount of 250–270 g should be poured with 3 liters of water. Let the product sit for 48 hours. To completely get rid of whiteflies, apply two or three times with a break of 7 days.
Garlic preparation. A head of garlic (about 6 medium-sized cloves) should be crushed using a garlic press, add 3 liters of water and place the container with the infusion in a darkened room. After 24 hours, the drug is passed through a sieve. Garlic infusion should be used up to 3 times every 7 days.
Tobacco infusion. 50 g of tobacco must first be crushed. You can use the contents of cigarettes. This amount of raw material should be poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water and left for at least 4-5 days. Before use, the infusion must be strained. Spraying of the tops is carried out until the bush is completely cured, maintaining an interval of 3 days between treatments.

Mechanically

Since whiteflies do not penetrate inside the leaf blades, but attach themselves to them, a popular solution to the situation is mechanical collection of insects.

They do this in several ways:

rinse with warm water;
collect on a sponge soaked in soapy water;
use sticky tape.

Chemical means

Chemicals should be used when whiteflies are actively spreading.

Effective means include the following:

"Aktara". For spraying, you need to dilute 2–4 g of the drug in 10 liters of water, the protection period is 2–4 weeks. When watering at the root, the dose of the product per 10 liters is 8 g, in this case the protection lasts 40–60 days. 10 liters of product are used per 10 m² of land.
"Verticillin". 50 ml of the drug should be diluted in 5 liters of water. It is advisable to apply the solution to the affected parts of the leaf plates. Processing two or three times. The interval between use is 1 week for severe damage or 1.5 weeks for mild or moderate disease.

"Fufanon." For 10 liters of water use 10 ml of product. When grown in a greenhouse, cucumbers are processed once. In open ground, double application is allowed, with the protective effect lasting 1.5–2 weeks.

Some gardeners suggest using boric acid. The preparation should be prepared based on the proportions of 5 g per 12 liters of water. Indeed, spraying with this product will help improve the development of cucumbers, increase the yield and strengthen the ovaries. However, it is better to use it as a top dressing to restore affected bushes after treatment.

In a parasitic way

Gardeners suggest placing 5 encarasia pupae per 1 m² of space in a greenhouse. This insect is an entomophage and eats whiteflies. However, pubescence on the foliage of cucumbers can become an obstacle to contact between these two species. For this reason, the parasitic method is used less frequently, but is not excluded.

How to deal with a pest

Gardeners spend a lot of effort fighting pests, especially when the number of insects is off the charts.
For this purpose, homemade folk remedies, chemical and biological preparations are used. Manual collection is a rather labor-intensive method of getting rid of aphids, and is suitable in case of minimal damage. After removing the insects, the bushes are watered with boiling water.

Traditional methods

Folk remedies are used when the ovary appears. It is not recommended to use chemicals during this period, since the substances are actively absorbed by the rhizome and fruits. You will have to get rid of such a harvest.

Experienced gardeners advise using the following folk remedies:

Infusion of tobacco. Take 400 g of shag and pour 10 liters of boiling water. Cover the bucket with a lid and leave for 48 hours to infuse. Before use, add fine shavings of laundry soap and mix. Use the infusion to irrigate the bushes.
Horseradish infusion. Take 8-10 roots, chop and pour 3 liters of boiling water. After 3 hours, pass through the filter. Fill the cake with 3 liters of distilled warm water, after three hours combine both concentrates. Before use, mix 200 ml of infusion with 5 liters of water and spray the plants.
Garlic. Take 250 g of garlic, chop and pour 1 liter of clean water. Cover the container with a lid and leave for five days. Irrigate the bushes with the resulting solution.
Hot pepper. Finely chop 3 peppers and add to 10 liters of water. Place the bucket in a warm room for 24 hours, then pass the liquid through cheesecloth and mix 60 ml of liquid soap, 150 g of ash, 3 drops of iodine. Pour the solution into a container with a spray bottle and treat the bushes.
Mustard. Take 10 g of mustard beans and pour 1 liter of water. After two days, add 800 ml of settled water and treat the bushes.
Celandine. Take 300 g of dry grass and pour 10 liters of water. Leave the container in a warm place for two days. Treat the bushes with a sprayer.
Dandelion. Finely chop 400 g of roots and 600 g of fresh leaves. Pour in 10 liters of water. After three hours, start irrigating the plants.
Yarrow. Take 900 g of herb and pour 2 liters of hot water. Leave for an hour to infuse. Before using the concentrated product, dilute 10 liters of water. For 1 m² you will need 1 liter of solution.
Wood ash. Take 60 g of ash and 100 g of laundry soap crumbs. Pour in 10 liters of water and stir. Add 5 drops of tea tree essential oil.
Soap solution. Dissolve 125 ml of liquid tar soap in 10 liters of warm water. Use the solution to water the bushes.
Onion peel. Take 40 g of raw material and soak it in 3 liters of warm water overnight. Add 5 ml of liquid soap and stir.
Soda. For 2 liters of settled water, take 60 g of soda and 18 drops of lavender and cedar essential oil. Irrigate the bushes three times a day until the aphids are completely gone.
Milk serum. Use the product undiluted to treat bushes.
Table vinegar. Take 1 tsp. vinegar 9% per 1 liter of water and irrigate the plants with the solution.

Chemicals

Chemicals will come to the rescue if traditional methods fail to stop the reproduction of insects. The most effective insecticides include:

“Decis” is a contact insecticide that begins to work an hour after treatment.
"Inta-Vir" is available in the form of powder and tablets for dilution in water. Quickly kills aphids and whiteflies.
"Aktara" is a long-acting drug that begins to work two hours after irrigation.
"Tanrek" is a systemic drug. Treatment is carried out once every three weeks.
"Danadim" is a slightly toxic insecticide that gets rid of pests in 48 hours.
"Confidor" - begins to act three days after irrigating the plants.

Biological drugs

These products are the result of microbiological synthesis with a more aggressive effect, despite the prefix “bio”, but are completely harmless to humans:

"Bitoxibacillin" contains special bacteria that infect insects and does not harm the environment.
"Aquarin" kills aphids in 48 hours. The product is used no more than three times per season.
"Aktofit" affects the nervous system of insects and gets rid of pests in 48 hours.
Fitoverm kills pests in three days. Cucumbers can be eaten three days after processing the bushes.
"Entobacterin" completely gets rid of insects in a week.
"Strela" is a drug with bitoxibacillin as an active ingredient. Completely gets rid of the pest in 10 days.

Preventive actions

The presence of structural elements of the light-optical apparatus depends on general well-being. Prevention of myodesopsia involves a healthy lifestyle. The neuropsychological state, a balanced diet and regular physical activity are of great importance. It is advisable to give up smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, and promptly cure ophthalmological pathology.

A person should be extremely careful about his health and wear sunglasses. If cloudiness appears or the image is blurry, immediately contact an experienced ophthalmologist in a specialized clinic.

To exclude vegetative crises and pathological symptoms, doctors recommend walking more and taking walks in the fresh air.

Ophthalmologists have developed simple gymnastics that help fight flying objects and stimulate tissue nutrition.

Special exercises:

You need to sit down in a chair as comfortably as possible and look only forward, then sharply shift your gaze alternately to the right and left, up and down. Active movements help to avoid stagnation and ischemia, promote a more uniform redistribution of intraocular fluid;
You need to concentrate and blink quickly for several minutes;
Perform alternate rotational movements to the right and left 15 times.

Our Fedorov Medical Center in Moscow is equipped with the most modern equipment of European quality; experienced and highly professional specialists will conduct a comprehensive examination and treatment of ophthalmological diseases.

Symptoms of cucumber damage

The following signs will help you recognize the presence of aphids on cucumbers::

slower growth and flowering;
curled, drooping and dry upper leaves;
areas covered with honeydew;
ants scurrying around the plant;
fall of the ovaries;
wilting of the lower leaves;
many small black bugs on the back of the leaves.

Whitefly traps

Some gardeners find it easier to spend time constructing traps once than to treat the plants with something foreign. However, these two methods work ideally in combination.

The easiest option is to place pieces of bright cardboard near the affected plants, smeared with something sticky and not drying too quickly (such as special entomological glue, Vaseline or castor oil). Sticky fly traps are useful, but less effective. By the way, if whiteflies are infested in greenhouses, the entrance must be covered with several layers of gauze when ventilating.

Another effective trap is a small box with a light bulb. It is advisable to paint it yellow-orange or place a piece of colored glass of the same shade in front of it. The light bulb must be secured inside the box by drilling holes in it at the same level. Place a container of water or oil at the bottom of the box. The scheme is simple: butterflies strive for a light bulb, get burned and drown.

Remember, to effectively exterminate pests, it is recommended to use the products in combination. Then the midges will leave your garden forever!

Prevention

To destroy white midges on tomatoes, you will need to spend a fairly long period of time, and when using insecticides, you can harm both yourself and the plantings. It is much easier and better to carry out proper prevention.

Since the whitefly dies at +15°C, greenhouses should be ventilated more often in early spring - this measure will significantly reduce the risk of the parasite appearing.
In addition, it is necessary to regularly weed the plantings, removing weeds and tomato tops.
Dig up the beds, treat the metal elements of greenhouses with soapy water from time to time, and do not store compost in the garden.

These simple measures will be quite enough to make tomato plantings unattractive to white midges. Have a good harvest!

Root nematode: what harm does it cause to cucumbers, description and methods of control

This is a worm 1.5 mm long. His favorite habitats are: greenhouses, greenhouses. Having penetrated the roots of the plant, the nematode settles there.

How to find out that cucumbers are infected with this pest

1. An infected cucumber bush lags behind similar ones in growth. 2. The harvest was obtained in a reduced volume. 3. You can observe that unsightly “bumps” have appeared on the roots - these are the places where nematode larvae mature.

What to do to destroy the worm on cucumbers:

It is difficult to eliminate a nematode if it has already appeared in the greenhouse. It is worth taking preventive actions: In the garden bed, in open ground, where cucumbers grow, you need to plant cabbage and garlic. Weeds, every single one, must be destroyed so that the nematodes have nothing to eat.

The soil is watered with boiling water. Then cover it with film for 2 or 3 hours. As soon as pests that destroy cucumbers are discovered, the top layer of soil must be removed. As an option, the soil is frozen, but the worms may not die.

When individual roundworms become visible, it is imperative to dig up the infected cucumber bush, as well as the bushes on the right and left. The roots and soil should be treated with a 5% formaldehyde solution or 2% carbation. The soil is covered with polyethylene.

Preventive measures

The fight against harmful insects in garden beds will be more effective if measures are taken to prevent their invasion. Standard preventive actions include the following:

It is recommended to dig up the area allocated for a vegetable garden in the fall to the full depth of the shovel, turning over the clod of earth; if there are clutches of insects in the ground, they will be unprotected and will quickly freeze;
immediately before planting crops, it is recommended to spill boiling water on the soil in the beds;
It is better to grow cucumbers using the seedling method; before planting seedlings in a permanent place, it is recommended to treat them with “Parathion”;
When caring for cucumbers, weed control is mandatory; these plants attract most pests to the garden;
loosening the soil allows you to destroy the nests of insects in the ground;
Along the perimeter of the beds you can plant a “living cordon” that repels pests - marigolds, marigolds, Persian chamomile, chicory, nasturtium. Essential oils exuded by spicy crops (basil, dill, parsley, coriander, parsnip, celery) have an insecticidal effect;
these same plants, as well as tops of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, are used as mulch, solving 3 problems at once - they fertilize the soil, prevent moisture from evaporating and repel insects;
Covering the beds with agrofibre will be a good way to protect the beds - the greenhouse effect created under the film is detrimental to many insects;
if there is a mole cricket in the garden, it is lured by manure pits, where insects from all over the area will gather for the winter; closer to cold weather, fertilizer is scattered in a thin layer over the harvested beds; which will lead to the freezing of pests.

If you use the principles of crop rotation in growing garden crops, this will reduce the number of pests on the site. It is not recommended to plant linden, viburnum, and petunia next to vegetable beds.

Why do cucumbers rot?

Growing cucumbers indoors is not an easy task; you have to constantly maintain a certain microclimate, control the composition and condition of the soil, limit the growth of vines, and carry out preventive treatments. Only if you carry out a set of agrotechnical measures can you count on a bountiful harvest. In open beds everything is a little simpler.

Attention! Cucumbers bred specifically for growing in greenhouses and hotbeds can also rot if you miss some detail, for example, systematically watering them with cold water.

In open ground, it is possible to avoid rotting of cucumbers even in unfavorable weather, but only if you change the place for the crop and choose the right predecessors (onions, cruciferous crops, legumes and nightshade crops). Greenhouse conditions greatly complicate crop rotation. An annual, complete replacement of the fertile soil layer, in which fungal spores and larvae of harmful insects accumulate, is required. The main reasons for the development of rot:

temperature violation;
improper watering;
unregulated air humidity;
excessive or insufficient nutrition;
lack of ventilation;
cold drafts;
crowdedness;
ignoring disinfection.

The infection can be introduced into a greenhouse or garden beds on shoes and gardening tools; the source of infection is the soil in which the seedlings grew, as well as seeds. The spores are carried by aphids and whiteflies. Problems arise with neglected plants or due to improper harvesting. Old canes, overgrown greens and yellowed leaves are removed. Cucumbers are grown only on a trellis or twine, without allowing the ovaries to come into contact with the soil. Cucumbers are cut or torn off carefully, without leaving mechanical damage and always together with part of the stalk.

What should you be wary of?

Yellow aphid

The nature of plant diseases can be viral, bacterial or fungal.

Also, plantings often become a habitat for various pests: midges, ticks, worms.

The reason most often lies in non-compliance with the correct growing conditions and lack of crop rotation.

Everyone knows that temperature plays a key role in the development of cucumbers. If it often changes sharply, while the humidity is higher than normal, and air circulation is impaired, cucumbers may get sick or become victims of pests.

This usually immediately affects the condition of the leaves and stems, and only then the ovaries are affected. If measures are not taken in time, you may be left without a harvest.

Prevention also plays a significant role. If you carefully monitor the condition of the plantings and provide them with proper care, troubles can be avoided.

Before sowing cucumbers for seedlings, it is best to expose the soil to high temperature, for example, warm the soil in a microwave oven. This way you will get rid of pests and their larvae that may be in it.

Cucumbers affected by midges (aphids)

Also, for prevention, you can add special antiparasitic drugs to the soil.

In addition, it is necessary to remove fallen leaves in a timely manner, because they make it difficult to see pests that have already appeared.

Plant damage can also be associated with poor soil in which the crop grows.

It is important to feed cucumbers regularly, as well as change the soil on which the vegetables grow every year.

If diseased cucumbers grew in a certain area of the soil, it is important to clear it of the remains of infected plants, wash and disinfect the greenhouse well.

As soon as you notice the first signs of pests or diseases, you must immediately begin treatment.

Parasite recognition

If midges appear on the stems, this is the very first sign of the development of the disease. The small butterfly is called a whitefly. It is characterized by one feature - gathering in small groups under the leaves. Midge larvae concentrate in the same place. Every day there are more and more parasites on cucumbers.

In parallel with the disease, chlorosis develops. It is a mosaic lesion of yellow leaves. Sooty fungus is often observed. Black spots indicate its presence. The leaves of cucumbers, which are parasitized by the midge pest, gradually turn yellow and wither, and the ovaries fall off.

In order to timely identify the whitefly and begin to fight it, you need to carefully monitor the seedlings. Butterflies tend to reproduce quickly. Thus, midges move to other plants. A farmer could lose his entire crop because of a small insect.

Signs of disease development

If pests are present on cucumbers, this is indicated by the following signs:

white dots and blurry spots appear on the leaves;
during parasitism, a decrease in cucumber mass is observed;
white midge suffers chlorosis, which is characterized by curling and curling of leaves;
the buds dry out, the ovaries with fruits fall off.

Adult midges are voracious. They eat the plant, sucking the juice from it. Parasitism of this kind leads to the death of a culture. If there are few midges, dew is noticeable on the plant. In turn, the whitefly provokes the formation of sooty fungus. Places that turn black and die are covered with a white sticky coating.

In addition, whiteflies can cause even more damage to plants. While parasitizing cucumbers, midges lay transparent eggs. After a few days, tiny greenish or gray larvae hatch. After hatching, whiteflies stick to the back of the leaves and begin to feed on their juices.

What are midges

These insects appear not only in adult plants, but also in seedlings. For them, the time of year or the type of plant has practically no meaning. The colony is growing rapidly. The most common species is the white midge or whitefly. The larvae of this pest are especially dangerous for the plant; they penetrate the soil and spoil the roots of the cucumber.

Green aphid

It is easier to avoid pests than to deal with them later.

If you are going to plant cucumbers on your site using seedlings, prevention must be carried out at the stage of nurturing the sprouts.

Timely loosened soil, suitable fertilizers and proper watering are half the success.

If midges do appear in your seedlings, there are several popular ways to combat them:

Watering plants with a solution of manganese, which will delay infection of plants and soil;
A solution of lemon juice with liquid soap;
Also, to combat midges, tobacco or garlic is placed in the soil.

If the larvae reproduce too actively, the diseased plant must be isolated from healthy ones. The soil should also not be left in place or reused, because the pest can spread to other plants.

White midge or greenhouse whitefly

Whitefly

Another dangerous pest is the greenhouse whitefly. This is a small insect with white wings and a body covered with a white waxy coating.

The whitefly settles on the back of the leaves.

Despite its small size, this pest quickly destroys crops.

Just like aphids, they feed on plant sap.

In addition to this, the whitefly secretes a substance containing sooty fungus. The plant becomes sick, the leaves and lashes quickly darken and die.

It is easier to protect yourself from an insect than to remove it. In order to avoid the appearance of the pest in cucumbers, before planting cucumbers, it is necessary to stretch gauze over the greenhouse windows. The doorway should also be covered with fabric.

As in the previous case, weeds can become a source of unwanted guests. They need to be uprooted and thrown away. Special pest traps work well. Cucumbers can be treated with the two percent Actofit preparation. Three sprays per season are enough.

How to get rid of white midges on cucumbers?

Causes of white midges and harm to cucumbers

Favorable conditions for the development of insects are high humidity and warmth. In addition, the insect overwinters on the site, waiting out the cold in the remains of garden and weed plants. The cause of infection of cucumbers is neglect of cleaning the site at the end of the gardening season and cloudy weather without sudden temperature changes. And in the greenhouse - non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic measures, lack of ventilation and excessive watering.

I feel sorry for those who suffered because of a political crook

I have said it many times and I will repeat it again: if you want to engage in politics at a serious level, you must at least familiarize yourself with the experience of previous generations, with their mistakes and achievements. But since Navalny and his comrades categorically do not want to read anything, we will continue to observe the universal collapse of this project.

I can’t say that I feel sorry for them, no. I feel sorry for the people who believed in this universal nonsense, this complete nonsense, built on absolute lies, and crippled their lives by receiving real sentences because of a political rogue.

As we know, lawyers visit Navalny in the colony every day. Somehow, I have great doubts that someone will ever come to the people who were imprisoned as a result of the events of January 23 and 31. Their life is of no interest to anyone. These are pawns of the “revolution”.

That’s why the “Free Navalny” website is entirely bots: the number of pawns has always been limited in all eras.

Getting rid of midges

Under the influence of aphids, the leaves first curl, then turn yellow and fall off.

In greenhouse tomatoes attacked by aphids, the leaves curl and turn yellow, and growth stops.
The plant gradually withers, losing vitality.
Many ants may appear around the bush.

Many gardeners plant marigolds in the greenhouse to repel pests.

Folk remedies

Soap and herbal infusions. A strong herbal infusion (wormwood, garlic, celandine) about 2-3 tablespoons is added to the soap solution (50 grams of soap per bucket of water) and sprayed on the bush.
Soap-ash solution.
Add a glass of wood ash to the soap solution (1/6 piece of laundry soap per bucket of water). An ash-soap solution helps against whiteflies, as well as aphids and mites.
Soda solution. Dissolve 3 whole tablespoons of soda in a bucket of water.

Chemicals

Chemicals are many times more effective, but more harmful to humans.

All chemicals can be used before bud formation; some drugs can accumulate in fruits and, if not used in a timely manner, can be harmful to human health.

Various insecticides and preparations are used against aphids: Karbofos, Aktara, Inta-vir, Iskra Zolotaya, Agravertin, Rovikurt, Confidor, Biotlin, etc.

What to do if there are white midges on cucumbers and how to deal with them?

All summer residents dream that only healthy cucumbers grow on their plot of land. Despite this, parasitic insects attack the crop during the growing season. To some extent, gardeners themselves are to blame for this. Bushes can be affected by various diseases as a result of exposure to other environmental factors.

If a person finds that the vines are covered with small midges, this is a sign of infection of the crop. Small insects do not immediately arouse suspicion in a person if he started growing vegetables not so long ago. Professionals know what harm midges can cause to all vegetables on a plot of land. Therefore, you need to know how to get rid of midges.

Aphid

If you look closely, you can see the first signs of aphid infestation.

The rapid spread of insects throughout the garden plot is carried out due to winged individuals, as well as ants that feed on the product of honeydew secreted by aphids.
Maximum parasite activity is observed in mid-summer.
During this period, under the inner surface of the leaves of plants, including cucumbers, you can notice hordes of green or black pests. They feed on plant juices and damage leaves, stems and ovaries.
Without timely control, the plant may die, so it is necessary to destroy aphids at the first symptoms of their appearance on the site.

Protection measures

One of the methods of protecting crops from the parasite is the use of natural enemies of aphids - ladybugs. These predatory insects can destroy from 50 to 100 pieces per day.

The ladybug is a natural enemy of all types of aphids.

Good results are achieved by artificially strengthening plant immunity. This can be achieved by spraying crops with foliar fertilizers (potassium chloride is diluted in 10 liters of water - 10 grams and 20 grams of superphosphate); spraying leaves stimulates the growth of crops, their leaves become rough. Feeding is applied at intervals of 5–7 days until the parasites completely disappear.

When using biological products, for example, Fitoverm, Actofit or Bitoxibazzilin, spraying is carried out on the outside of the leaves. In this case, the fruits are suitable for eating 2 days after applying the solution. In case of severe damage, crops are sprayed with chemicals according to the instructions on the package.

Biological preparations only act in direct contact with insects, which is why it is necessary to treat the underside of cucumber leaves.

Good means for killing aphids on cucumbers are:

Decis;
Arrivo;
Inta Vir;
Kinmiks;
Karbofos.

For treating crops in open ground or greenhouses, it is recommended to use only freshly prepared solution. Carry out such work in the evening in dry, windless weather; be sure to use personal protective equipment.

Preventive measures against pests of cucumbers

Very often, the appearance of pests on cucumbers is the result of incorrect actions on the part of the gardener. To avoid this, follow these rules:

Try to maintain crop rotation. Do not plant cucumbers in the same place for 3 years in a row. Alternate their planting with planting crops of the nightshade or legume family.
Start preparing the soil in the fall - dig up the soil in the garden bed, free it from weeds. In the winter, open the windows in the greenhouse so that the ground freezes; in the spring, light sulfur bombs in the greenhouse, pour boiling water over the ground and cover it with film for 3 hours.
Treat the seeds with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Weed the beds regularly. Many pests feed on weeds.
Plant strong-smelling plants next to cucumbers: dill, basil, garlic.
Maintain temperature conditions in greenhouses. Ventilate often and avoid high humidity.
Tie up the cucumbers. This will make them easier to inspect.
Pinch and pick cucumbers often. Overgrown plants create favorable conditions for diseases and pests.
If a plant is too damaged by disease or pests, do not spare it and call it up by the roots. And then burn it. This way you can save the rest of the plantings.
Stick to the fertilizing and watering calendar. Spray the plants periodically, for example with a solution of milk and iodine. Check their leaves often.

What to do if midges appear?

It is recommended to properly care for the plant to prevent pest invasion. Loosen the soil thoroughly. Fertilize and water the soil in a timely manner. If the midges still appear, try to remove them using proven methods.

Sciarids, or, as they are also called, fungus gnats, as well as other flying parasites in the apartment, can be easily poisoned with a fumigator. Sticky fly tapes and ant killing gel are good for this purpose. They should be placed between pots with plants; they will attract and destroy midges.

You can help the seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If you notice small worms in the soil or black flies on the leaves of seedlings, dilute a few manganese crystals in 1 liter of water and water the plants.

It is useful to use other control methods:

sprinkle the surface of the soil with a thick layer of ash, it prevents the spread of parasites in the soil;
dig some tobacco or a couple of heads of garlic into the ground. This will repel insects for a long time;
A few days after watering with manganese, dilute 1 spoon of lemon juice and the same amount of soap solution in a liter of water. The acidic environment attracts insects, and soap prevents a film from forming on the water. Therefore, when pests land on it, they instantly drown.

Advice
If there are a lot of midges, you can save the plant with chemicals. In specialized stores it is easy to purchase products such as “Fufanon”, “Aktara”, “Grom-2” or “Mukhoed”. The main thing is to choose the right poison for the type of plant and do not deviate from the instructions.

Dichlorvos is considered an effective remedy. They need to spray the soil and leaves of the seedlings. To reduce human exposure to harmful Dichlorvos vapors, the plant can be covered with a plastic bag for several hours and taken out to the balcony.

When the larvae have infested all the seedlings, the only solution may be to replant the plants. Thoroughly shake off their roots and plant the sprouts in a new pot and soil. Old soil cannot be sifted and preserved. It needs to be thrown away to prevent further spread of pests.

Black flea beetle

Signs of black flea beetles appearing on cucumbers

The flea is small in size, up to 3 mm, and has an oblong body. She has the most varied colors.

It feeds on the leaves and roots of plants. It eats holes right through in the leaves, leaving them as a sieve. It becomes active in the spring, when the soil temperature warms up to 15 degrees. And thanks to its high speed of movement and great appetite, it can eat all the cucumber seedlings.

Pest control measures

The official name of the black flea beetle is cruciferous flea beetle. This name was given to her for her love of cruciferous plants. The flea in the wild eats mainly these - cress, shepherd's purse and wild radish. Therefore, try to remove these weeds from the beds in a timely manner. You can cover the beds with dense dark fabric such as spunbond; plants will not grow under it.

Shepherd's Purse

Also, the black flea does not like strong odors. Therefore, dill, coriander, and garlic are planted in the greenhouse along with cucumbers. You can plant flowers - nasturtium or calendula.

Among the folk remedies there is a very unique method:

Young cucumber plants are sprinkled with ash or chalk. It is better to do this in the morning, while the leaves are still wet from dew. It is believed that the flea beetle does not like dirty plants and does not touch them.
You can sprinkle mothballs between the rows of cucumbers.
You can spray the plants with a solution of 9% vinegar. Dilute 200 ml of vinegar in a bucket of water and irrigate the cucumbers. Instead of vinegar, you can use any aromatic oils of coniferous trees or tinctures of carvalod or valerian. 15 drops are enough per bucket.
An infusion of tomato tops and garlic is also prepared. To do this, take equal amounts of ingredients. The greens are finely chopped and poured with 10 liters of warm water. Leave for 3 hours, filter and spray the plants. You can use a pet flea shampoo. 50 ml of this product is diluted in a bucket of water.
You can use sticky paper. Walk along the rows, waving it and touching the plants; the fleas will jump in different directions from fright and stick to it.

Insecticides used include Arrivo, Aktara and Sherpa. They are safe for seedlings and humans.

They are used in the most extreme cases, when there are too many fleas and there is no other way to deal with them.

Spraying is best done in the evening, when pests gather on the leaves.

Slugs

How dangerous are slugs for cucumbers?

Slugs are gastropods with very well-developed jaws. They are so strong that they can bite the stems of plants and bite through the fruits themselves.

Pests on cucumbers - Slugs

In addition, these parasites are very voracious. And they eat everything: fruits, leaves, stems, and even roots of plants. They also have a good sense of smell, which allows them to accurately find food.

How to get rid of slugs

At the beginning, it is worth saying that you need to use means of combating them in the evening, when slugs crawl out of their hiding places.

If there are few of them on your site, then use folk remedies. They are easy to use and effective. Place a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal in the jar and turn it on its side. Slugs love flour, but do not digest it. That's why they die after eating this kind of food.

They also love the smell of beer. Pour some into a glass and place among the cucumbers overnight. In the morning, remove the glass with the pests that have entered it and place a new one.

You can sprinkle the ground under the cucumbers with coffee grounds, since slugs cannot stand the smell of coffee and will not come close to this bed.

They also cannot stand the smell of ammonia. Dissolve a tablespoon of alcohol in a liter of water and spray the plants with this solution.

You can sprinkle the ground with something sharp, such as crushed shells. Slugs cannot crawl on thorns - this will hurt their body. To combat them, you can sprinkle the beds with pine needles, fine gravel or even coarse sand. If a toad or hedgehog accidentally gets into your garden, do not drive them away; these are excellent slug hunters and their first enemies.

If there are too many of them in your garden, then use the chemicals Thunderstorm and Meta.

You can find out about other ways to combat slugs here.

Ants in a greenhouse with cucumbers, what to do

Fighting ants on cucumbers

You can use mechanical methods to combat them.

Dig up the ground and put the found eggs in a bucket, fill it with water and take it out of the greenhouse.
A very effective method is to destroy the queen ant. It is larger than ordinary ants and has wings. Without it, the ant family cannot exist. But you need to dig carefully, without damaging the roots of the cucumbers.
If there are still not many ants, you can constantly loosen the ground, not allowing them to make their tunnels.
You can cover the ground with a thick fabric that does not allow light to pass through, such as a tarp, and press it more firmly to the ground.

Among the chemicals used are Karbofos, Gnome-2 and Muratsid. The ants cannot withstand insecticides and leave.

You can use biological methods to combat ants: plant strong-smelling plants near or in the greenhouse: mint, rosemary, lavender. Or spread out dried herbs such as garlic, wormwood, mustard.

You can use traditional methods of struggle, but they are not as effective as those described above. The easiest one is to pour boiling water over the ground where the ants are found. You can treat the soil with an oil-vinegar mixture. They are combined in equal proportions and watered, then covered with film. You can dig up the ants' nest and pour kerosene on it. Take 10 tablespoons per bucket of water. Other methods can be found in the article - How to get rid of ants on your property.

Flies in a greenhouse with cucumbers

Types of pest flies on cucumbers

Everyone knows what ordinary flies look like, but the pest that interferes with the growth of cucumbers is the sprout fly. This small gray fly, no more than 6 mm in length, lays larvae in the ground. This is where they spend most of their lives and eat everything that comes their way. Most often they eat seeds - they penetrate inside and eat the pulp. Such a seed, of course, will not sprout. Those seeds that survive are seriously damaged, and a full-fledged plant will not grow from it.

In cucumbers, flies penetrate the stem of the sprout and drink all the juices. Such plants dry out quickly and stop developing. In beds with a fly, the sprouts hardly sprout, or they emerge from the ground very thin and sluggish.

Protecting cucumbers from flies on cucumbers

To combat such flies, several methods are used at once: agrotechnical, biological and chemical.

Since the fly lives in the ground, it must be dug up in spring and autumn and all plant debris must be removed. Organic fertilizer should be applied deep into the soil, because most often flies lay larvae in manure remaining in the upper layers of the soil. Try to disinfect your own seeds. Or plant the seeds directly as seedlings. The fly won't be able to do anything to her.

Biological methods include introducing its enemies to fly-infested areas. Such as beetles of the genus Aleohara and ground beetles.

You can fight flies on cucumbers with chemical solutions such as Fufanol and Kemifos. Insecticides are applied to the soil and sprayed on the plant seedlings.

Traditional methods of struggle are also used: a fly in the ointment is diluted in a bucket of water and the cucumber sprouts are watered. Infusions of wormwood and tansy help well.

Small pests on peppers and cucumbers

Other vegetable crops, such as peppers and cucumbers, are also not immune to the appearance of aphid colonies. In most cases, this occurs due to waterlogging of the soil in cool weather. To prevent this from happening, it is better to refrain from watering on cool days.

Sometimes the leaves are strewn with cucumber pests, in which case the bush will wither

If an unpleasant neighborhood does appear on the plants, it is necessary to urgently begin to destroy the pests. To do this, use crushed garlic or tobacco leaves spread under the plants.

You can use an effective tool:

juice from three lemons;
100 grams of liquid soap;
8 liters of water.

Combine these ingredients and immediately spray the cucumbers or peppers. Pay special attention to the soil - also thoroughly moisten it with the preparation.

What is the best way to kill midges on cucumbers and peppers?

It is better not to use chemical methods to kill midges on adult cucumbers and peppers - after all, after such exposure, eating vegetables is prohibited for a week or more.

Traditional methods are more gentle; you can serve the fruits the very next day after processing.

Species attacking seedlings

Absolute sterility when sowing tomatoes or, for example, peppers is simply not possible. At the same time, midge eggs hidden in a box with seedlings can belong to completely different types of insects.

If you have black midges up to 4 mm in size, then these are most likely leaf, soil or fungus gnats. By themselves, they do not pose a threat, but white worms (larvae) that just emerge from their clutches can damage the root system.

Greater harm is caused by the appearance of whiteflies similar to white midges over the seedlings. Insects are up to 2-3 mm long, more like moths, as they have 4 wings. If black midges are dangerous only because they reproduce larvae that damage roots, then whiteflies at all stages of life feed on the juice of future vegetable crops, weakening their immunity. The appearance of this pest on tender tomato seedlings can quickly negate the work of growing vegetables: they must be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

Against the background of black and white midges, springtails swarming in the ground, which are also called poduras, sminturs or springtails (differ in size: up to 1 mm), are almost not dangerous for seedlings. With the exception of some species, for example, vegetable sminthur (Bourletiela arvalis and green sminthur (Sminthurus viridis)) are especially harmful to vegetable seedlings in greenhouses.

Unpleasant consequences of pest infestation

The consequences of whitefly infestation of cucumbers are not the most pleasant.

slowing down the growth of the bush;
decrease in yield;
drying out of foliage and its gradual fall;
disruption of the photosynthesis process;
attracting other diseases, such as fungal and viral infections, or insects such as ants (due to the deposition of honeydew on leaf blades).