A common sucking pest that most often affects young currant leaves. Aphids live on the underside of the leaves, forming rather large colonies, and manifest themselves by the appearance on the leaves of the so-called galls - convex growths of a dark red color. As the leaf ages, the galls may become yellowish or greenish. With a strong defeat, the leaves dry up and die, the growth of shoots is inhibited.
The size of adult aphids is 2.2 - 2.5 mm, the color is from lemon yellow to brown. Eggs laid in autumn overwinter in cracks in the bark near the buds. Hatching of pests begins quite early, during the blooming of the leaves. External signs of damage - galls - appear on the leaves during the formation of ovaries. The greatest number of pests reach in June. Flight of winged females begins in early summer and culminates in July when aphids move to weeds where they feed until autumn. Then the females return to the currant to lay eggs. Wingless individuals can remain on the currant all season. Over the summer in middle lane several generations of aphids hatch (up to 8).
How to deal with gall aphids?
Prevention
- Timely weeding.
- Treatment before bud break with insecticidal preparations ( "Prophylactin", "Spark double effect").
- Attracting insect predators that feed on aphids to the garden ( ladybugs, lacewings, camels).
- To destroy wintering pests, it is recommended to spray the bushes and trunk circles very hot water(+80...+90 °С).
Folk remedies for gall aphids on currants
With a small lesion, cut and destroy damaged leaves and shoots. If the number of the pest is small, you can try to deal with it. folk remedies.
- Infusion of marigolds. For 5 liters (half a bucket) of dry chopped marigold raw materials, take 10 liters of water and 50 g laundry soap. The raw material is poured with hot water, insisted for 2 days, then mixed with soap and sprayed on the plants.
- Laundry soap solution: 300-400 g of soap is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
- Infusion of tomato leaves and onion peel. For cooking, you will need 0.5 kg of onion peel and 1.5 - 2 kg of tops or. The tops are brewed with 5 liters of boiling water and infused for about 4 hours, then boiled for 3 hours, filtered and water is added in a ratio of 1:2. The husk is poured with hot water (about 2 liters) and infused for no more than two days, after which another 2 liters of water and a little liquid soap are added. After that, both infusions are mixed
Using natural remedies 2-3 treatments are required after 7-10 days. Processing is carried out in dry calm weather; if after a while it rained, spraying must be repeated.
Aphid preparations
With an average degree of damage, if folk remedies have not helped, it is recommended to use bio-based insecticides: Biotlin, Fitoverm, Agravertin. These drugs are considered one of the safest and can be used throughout the growing season.
If currant plantings are severely affected by gall aphids, you will have to resort to chemical insecticides. Drugs show high efficiency "Aliot", "Kinmiks", "Aktellik", "Confidor", "Inta-vir" etc. Usually 2-3 treatments are needed, the interval between them is indicated in the instructions for the drug. All preparations work at a temperature from +15 °C.
Be careful: chemical insecticides should not be used before harvesting! The allowable interval between processing and collection is also indicated in the instructions.
The aphid family is very extensive. The number of its representatives reaches 4 thousand. On currant bushes with red and white berries, leaf gall aphids most often settle. As a result of the activity of the pest, the leaves of the plant are covered with swellings and growths of yellowish and cherry color. They may also appear on its branches. Blackcurrants are more attracted to gooseberry shoot aphids. Feeding on cell sap, tiny insects cause twisting and wilting of leaves, deformation of buds. Young shoots of currant bushes inhabited by pests are bent, and their growth is slowing down.
But leaf and other types of aphids are dangerous not only for this. A large colony of insects weakens the plant, making it vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. The logical result of their appearance in the garden - dangerous diseases. Unable to process all the juice they suck out, pests secrete a sweet substance (honeydew, or honeydew). The sticky film on the plant prevents it from breathing, besides, they quickly settle in it and actively develop different kind fungi. It is because of aphids that white and red currants begin to suffer from black sooty dew.
Contrary to a common misconception, ants do not fight pests, but contribute to their settlement, transferring slow and clumsy wingless insects to shoots that have not yet been colonized by them. The reason for this is the same fall. Ants love to feast on sugary substance. The appearance of hordes of these insects on the branches of currants is a reason to sound the alarm. Measures to combat aphids necessarily include the destruction of anthills located near infected plants.
Gentle methods of struggle
You can get rid of pests on currant bushes different ways. When choosing a remedy, it is necessary to take into account first of all the degree of damage. If there are few plants affected by aphids, and a colony of insects has not yet grown on them, they will come to the rescue folk recipes. The infusions made according to them are safe for humans and animals, and they can be made from improvised means.
- wood ash. 3 liters are added to 2 glasses of the substance hot water and dissolve in the resulting mixture 1 tbsp. l soap (liquid or laundry is suitable). You can spray currants with the resulting composition in a day, after filtering it. Ash will perform 2 functions at once: it will scare away aphids and provide plants nutrients.
- Liquid soap (you can use any dishwashing detergent instead). 2 tbsp. l of a viscous substance is dissolved in 1 glass of water. The composition is used immediately after preparation. To destroy pests, currants are sprayed with them daily. The agent acts on the respiratory organs of aphids, clogging them and causing the death of insects.
- Tobacco dust (shag). Pouring 1 liter of water into a container, add 100 g of dry mass to it. The mixture is put on the stove, brought to a boil and kept on low heat for 1 hour. The cooled agent is filtered and diluted with water, adding 300 ml of tobacco infusion to a bucket of water. It is better to spray currants from a spray bottle. Re-treatment is carried out after 2 days. To enhance the effect, you can mix tobacco with wood ash. For 10 liters of water, take 400 g of each substance.
- Soda ash. To prepare an aphid remedy, the drug is dissolved in water (1 tablespoon of the substance per 1 liter), adding a little soap to it.
The treatment of currants with herbal infusions brings good results. Some common plants repel aphids.
- Celandine. Its tops can be used fresh (3-4 kg) or dried (1 kg). Filling the grass with 10 liters of water, it is left for 24-30 hours. Use after straining.
- Dandelion. Its roots (200 g) or leaves (400 g) will help get rid of insects. In a container with vegetable raw materials add 10 l warm water. It will be possible to treat the bushes affected by aphids with dandelion infusion in 2 hours.
- Onion. Insects are repelled by the smell of its husk. An infusion is prepared from it for 4-5 days. For 10 liters of water take 200 g of husk. Green feathers will also come in handy. A means for spraying currants is prepared from them in the same way, but the volume of vegetable raw materials is increased to 3-4 kg.
- Hot pepper. After grinding its pods, they are poured with water (1:10) and, after boiling for 30 minutes, left for 2 days. Then the composition is filtered. Before treating them with currants, the infusion is diluted (100 ml per 1 liter clean water). An aphid repellent can be prepared from orange or lemon peels, wormwood, tansy, yarrow. The same recipe is used, but with one difference: it is not necessary to dilute the resulting composition.
- Potato tops. Finely chopped it and pouring boiling water (the proportions should be the same), let the mixture brew. After 2 days, it is filtered and the currants are sprayed with it. In the same way, an infusion of marigolds and tomatoes is prepared.
To save the garden from aphids, you have to try. Insects live on the lower part of the leaves, so currants should be sprayed so that poisonous compounds fall on it. The use of a spray gun will increase the effectiveness of the procedure. Do not forget about safety rules. A mask on the face and rubber gloves on the hands will protect the skin and respiratory organs from harmful substances.
To prevent infection and fight it, professionals fumigate black and red currants with dry celandine stems. Repel aphids and tobacco-ash mixture. She is powdered lower part leaves. It is recommended to do this when high humidity(after rain or watering). Ash is also sprinkled under the bushes from spring to autumn.
Biological and mechanical methods
In the early stages of infection, as well as after flowering, when berries have already set and apply chemicals it became dangerous experienced gardeners prefer to fight against aphids on currants mechanically removing pests from plants. For this
- Carefully cut off and burn damaged (twisted or swollen) leaves and tops of shoots.
- Wash off insects with water by directing a hose under strong pressure at the bush.
- Press aphids on the plant with rubber-gloved hands.
- In the spring, cut off and destroy infected buds. This must be done before they have blossomed yet. The buds in which the eggs of pests overwintered in autumn differ from healthy ones in their larger size and rounded shape.
Despite the effectiveness of these measures, they have a significant drawback - the complexity and the need for repeated treatments. Using them, you will have to carefully examine the blackcurrant every day. When young insects hatch from the eggs, the fight against aphids will begin anew.
To protect plantings from pests, summer residents attract their natural enemies to their plots. The aphids have a lot of them, they exterminate it:
- small birds;
- ladybugs;
- lacewings;
- earwigs;
- hoverflies.
To lure tits and sparrows will help the installation of drinkers and feeders. If you break a bed with tomatoes and dill or a flower garden with marigolds, calendula, nasturtium, cosmea next to currants, their smell will simultaneously repel aphids and attract beetles that eat it. A bad neighbor for a shrub is corn. Pests love its succulent leaves. After destroying corn plantations, they will attack blackcurrants.
Insects hunting for aphids can be planted artificially on plants. They are sold in stores specializing in organic farming or agricultural markets.
Useful in the fight against aphids and weeds. Insects love swan. If you leave a few plants under the currant bushes, they will take the hit. After the aphids have settled, the quinoa is pulled out and burned.
chemical attack
At large area defeat it is more expedient to use special preparations from aphids.
You can treat currants with insecticides:
- "Aktara";
- "Wofatox";
- "Inta-Virom";
- "Kinmiks";
- "Confidor";
- "Karbofos";
- "Rovikurt";
- "Fufanon";
- Fury.
Due to the high toxicity of these products, they should be handled with a protective mask and rubber gloves. To achieve a sustainable result, 3 treatments are carried out:
- before bud break;
- after the appearance of young leaves;
- in summer (at least a month before the berries ripen).
The fight against aphids with chemicals can be safe only if the manufacturer's recommendations are strictly followed. It is necessary to take into account the duration of the action of the remedy. If the waiting period is more than 2 weeks, it is no longer possible to use it against aphids on currants at the budding stage. In this case, it is better to use preparations of biological origin ("Fitoverm").
Chemicals are a salvation for summer residents whose plots are attacked annually by aphids. Having processed blackcurrants with them at the beginning of the growing season and after another 2 weeks (the exact dates are prescribed in the instructions), you can forget about pests. Since the aphid is able to develop immunity to the poisons used against it, the preparations must be changed. Better to do it annually.
Infection prevention
The appearance and rapid spread of aphids is a reason to think about whether currant care is carried out correctly. Strong and healthy plants are resistant to pests. The short proboscis of aphids is unable to break through their tough leaves, so insects do not settle on them, preferring to look for easier prey.
Prevention of aphids on currants comes down to the following activities.
- Timely watering and fertilizing bushes with low nitrogen compounds.
- Annual pruning, involving the removal of old, dry, diseased, damaged, extra branches and root shoots;
- Mulch soil under plants.
- Weed removal.
- Cleaning the trunk of exfoliated bark, in which aphid eggs can hibernate.
- Extermination of ants living under a bush or next to it. Here, ordinary boiling water will help. Having filled a bucket with it, it is poured onto an anthill. Doing this is recommended in early spring. A shallow trench dug around a currant bush and filled with a sticky substance will limit the movement of ants.
Aphids do not like strongly smelling plants: mint, garlic, onions, parsley, coriander, basil. If you plant them next to currants, you can not be afraid of insect invasions.
In autumn, the soil under the plants is slightly loosened, and with the advent of spring, their trunks are whitened. For prevention purposes, you can treat bushes with systemic insecticides that have not yet awakened buds, and spill the ground under them with the rest of the solution. This will enhance plant protection.
It will take time and patience to get rid of the aphid currants that have settled on the bushes. Best results in this difficult task are achieved by summer residents using an integrated approach. Proper agricultural practices, implementation of preventive measures, attraction of natural enemies of insects, planting around the berry useful plants will protect currant bushes from infection. If it was not possible to avoid it, early stages you can get by with more environmentally friendly physical, biological and folk methods destruction of the enemy. With their insufficient effectiveness, they switch to heavy artillery - preparations with an insecticidal effect.
The appearance on the leaves of white or red currant of blisters-galls of a reddish color, and on black - leaves rolled into a tube, indicates that they have wound up in the berry dangerous pests. It is hosted by aphids on currants. On red and white, red-gall and currant hairy usually settle, and on black - gooseberry shoot aphid. Under favorable conditions (dry, hot weather), pest colonies grow rapidly and can cause significant damage to plants and significantly reduce the yield of berries. Therefore, it is necessary to fight aphids on currants throughout the summer.
Briefly about the pest
The life cycle of aphids is very short, up to 10 generations can change in one summer. Young insects appear on plants in the spring from overwintered eggs, at the time of blooming of young leaves. The pest multiplies rapidly. Females bring offspring without fertilization (parthenogenesis), and only females are born. When the colony on the currant grows strong enough, and the affected shoots and leaves begin to wither, not providing the pests with enough food, then winged forms of aphids begin to appear en masse, which easily fly to healthy shoots and neighboring bushes. With the onset of autumn, males begin to be born. During sexual reproduction, females lay eggs on shoots near the buds, which will remain overwintering.
Digesting the juice sucked from the plant, aphids release sweet droplets - honeydew, or honeydew - that attract other insects, especially ants. Usually, many ants scurry up and down the branches if the currant is affected by this pest. They not only do not eat aphids (as some people think), but rather carefully protect it, transfer it to intact shoots. Ants watch over, cherish and even “milk” (tickling their belly antennae) “herds” of their “cows” for the sake of drops of a sweet span. It should be noted that aphids always respond to "milking", highlighting a sweet drop for their guards. Therefore, if you are going to deal with aphids on currants, you should first get rid of the anthills located nearby.
Fighting methods
If currant bushes are slightly affected by aphids and the number of bushes is small, then you can try to get rid of the pest without using pesticides. In large plantations, the fight is carried out with chemical preparations. When spraying, it should be borne in mind that the aphid colony is located on the underside of the leaves, so it is necessary to ensure that the solution gets to the places where the pests are concentrated.
- If leaves with reddish swellings (galls) are found on the berries, they must be cut off and destroyed (better - burn). You should also deal with lumps of twisted leaves at the ends of the shoots.
- You can effectively fight aphids with the help of an infusion prepared from a mixture of tobacco (shag) and wood ash(400 g per 10 liters of water).
- For spraying against aphids, you can use a solution of soda ash at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon for 1 liter of water. Add soap to the solution.
- Many gardeners fight aphids with infusion of celandine. For 10 liters of water, about 3.5 kg of fresh grass is taken and infused for a day, then the affected bushes are sprayed. During processing, use personal protection, since the juice of celandine is poisonous.
- You can fight the aphid invasion with an infusion of onion feathers (3-4 kg) or onion peel (200 g), which are kept in 10 liters of water for 3-4 days (finely chopped heads can be used).
- You can get rid of aphids with ordinary wood ash. 200 - 250 grams should be poured with boiling water and left to cool. Soap should be added to the filtered solution (you can use inexpensive liquid soap), bring the volume up to 10 liters.
- On significant currant plantations, the fight against aphids is carried out with chemical preparations. The following insecticides can be effectively used for these purposes: Vofatoks, Kinmiks, Karbofos, Aktara, Rovikurt and others. Spraying is carried out before bud break, again - immediately after the appearance of leaves and a third time in summer, but no later than 30 days before harvest.
It should be noted that planting plants that repel aphids next to the currant reduces the damage to the bushes by pests. These plants include: onions, tomatoes, dill, garlic, parsley, mint, basil, coriander, tansy, marigolds, yarrow. The use of a set of measures allows you to almost completely get rid of aphids in the garden.
Aphids are a common pest that loves to feast on the green part of the plant. It happens that aphids infect currants when there are already berries on the bush. In this case, it is necessary to do something as soon as possible to combat these insects and not lose the crop.
Folk methods
In the arsenal of every gardener there are several effective and safe home methods for dealing with aphids.
soap solution
It is necessary to take 300-400 g of laundry soap, grind it with a grater, and then send it to 10 liters of water. flexible branches currants can be dipped in the prepared solution.
And you can use the tool to treat the entire bush from the sprayer. In this case, it is necessary to wet the leaves from both sides. But how to use laundry soap from aphids on an apple tree, this will help to understand
Garlic infusion
Garlic infusion
Infusion of celandine
Take ½ bucket of finely chopped plant, add water to the brim. Infuse for 24 hours, and then filter and apply to spray the berry bush. But how to cook celandine from aphids on trees, and how effective this tool is, is set out in the article
Infusion of celandine
iodine and milk
It is necessary to take 100 ml of milk and 1 vial of iodine. All this is dissolved in 1 liter of water. The resulting solution is used for spraying the bush. And here is how the tomato is sprayed with iodine during flowering, and how much this remedy
Vodka
It is necessary to take a bottle of vodka and place a little liquid soap on it for better adhesion of the solution to the leaves. Treat the affected parts of the plant with the resulting composition. You may also find it useful to know how you can 
Soda
It is necessary to take 75 g of soda and send it to 10 liters of water. Spraying with such a solution can be carried out at any stage of the development of a berry crop.
Infusion of marigolds
This tool is very effective in the fight against aphids. To prepare the infusion, it is necessary to use dry flowers. Take 10 liters of water and add ½ bucket of fine raw materials. Wait 3 days, and then filter and add 50 g of grated soap to the finished solution. It is also worth paying attention to how you can do
tomato tops
Using the tops of tomatoes, it is possible to obtain an effective solution to combat aphids. For this, 2 kg of dry tops and 4 kg of fresh tops are used. Finely chop the raw material, pour 10 liters of water. Set on fire for half an hour.
Cool the resulting solution and store in the refrigerator. Before use, dilute the concentrated solution with water in a ratio of 1:5.
Celandine
To obtain a solution, take 4 kg of fresh grass. Finely chop it and add 10 liters of water. Wait 24 hours, and then apply the solution to treat currant bushes.
pharmacy chamomile
To prepare the solution, take 1 kg of raw materials and 10 liters of water. Wait 12 hours and then filter. Before application of structure it is necessary to dilute it in the ratio 1:3 with water. To get the maximum result, you need to add a little laundry soap.
Dandelions
yarrow
You need to take 1 kg of dry stems and leaves of the plant, add 2 liters of boiling water. Infuse in a water bath for 30 minutes. Before use, dilute the concentrate with 10 liters of water. 
Infusion of horse sorrel
Take 400 g of raw materials, finely chop and pour 10 liters of water. Before using the spray solution, it must be filtered.
orange peels
Take the peel in the amount of 100 g, add 1 liter of water. Insist 3 days. After that, you can spray the plant.
alder leaves
Take raw materials in an amount of 1 kg, pour 5 liters of water. Infuse for 1 day, but before that, simmer the remedy on the stove for 30 minutes. Before using the decoction, it must be filtered.
On the video - a remedy for aphids on currants:
Chemicals
It is possible to use chemical preparations to combat aphids only a month before the berries ripen. The following compositions remain effective:
Garden fumigation
Fumigation of the garden remains a very common method of dealing with aphids. For these purposes, you can use tobacco, mushroom or rubber. It is worth fumigating before the buds open, and also at the time of their opening.
If the option with rubber is chosen, then you need to take an old and unnecessary container, lay a piece of rubber. Set under each bush to smolder. If you use tobacco or a mushroom, then manipulation is carried out with the help of a smoker of beekeepers.
Plants need to be fumigated for at least 3 hours. It is best to carry out the manipulation in the evening, when there is no wind. After this, the aphid dies completely, and it is not necessary to use chemicals. The disadvantages of this method include the presence of acrid smoke, which adversely affects human health.
On the video - the fumigation process:
It is necessary to deal with aphids on currants when there are already berries, with extreme caution. It is best to use folk remedies. Some of them are very effective and at the same time completely safe. But it is worth using chemicals only in extreme cases, if there is a massive damage by pests, and other methods of control do not give a positive result.
Well, what kind of gardener would deny himself the pleasure of having on his garden plot currant. This berry is a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals. If the right variety is chosen for climatic conditions specific region, then currant bushes do not need special care. However, this culture has a serious enemy in the garden - aphids on currants.
This is what problems with currant bushes look like
How to notice the infection in time?
- Scarlet galls appear on the leaves of white / red currant. This plant was inhabited by red-gall aphid, or maybe hairy currant.
- The leaves of blackcurrant roll up into a tube. This problem is called gooseberry shoot aphid.
Attention! Any kind of aphid, including those inhabiting currants, reproduces catastrophically quickly. Favorable conditions dry hot weather is considered for the development of the population. And this means that it is necessary to carry out prevention, and if not saved, then it will be necessary to fight this pest throughout the summer.
What is she currant aphid?
Aphids feed on sap, naturally the leaves, losing moisture, curl
As soon as autumn comes, the time comes for the birth of males. During the period of sexual reproduction, the uterus next to the kidneys lays eggs, where they overwinter.
How to save a berry bush
You have to deal with aphids throughout the season
scare away
Onion infusion
Grind 100 grams of onions + 200 grams of onion peel. This mixture is poured with 10 liters of hot water. Time of infusion - 4-5 days. Strain the infusion and process the currant bush. The procedure is carried out 3 times with an interval of 7 days. Such a tool is universal - it is suitable for combating not only aphids, but also ticks, leafworms, sawflies and even the Colorado potato beetle.
adhesive belt
Since ants bring aphids to the top of the plants, it is necessary to eliminate the possibility for them to perform such a “work”. In that high efficiency show adhesive belts. A layer of long-drying glue or adhesive tape is applied to the trunk in a place cleared of larvae double sided tape. Ideally, it is worth making several adhesive barriers on different height. After the end of the "move" of the larvae, such adhesive belts are removed.
By the way! The procedure for whitewashing a tree trunk or bush with lime, which has been performed by gardeners for centuries, is also a preventive measure, including against aphid infestation. It is applied in early spring, before the birth of larvae.
Garlic-soap composition
To prepare the product, you need 10-12 arrows of fresh garlic. They are filled with 10 liters of water, where a third of a bar of laundry soap is added (grate). The mixture settles for at least 20 days, after which currant bushes are sprayed with it.
It is necessary to protect currants from aphids, starting in early spring
wood ash solution
Gardeners have long noticed that aphids and other pests do not touch those plants under which ash is regularly applied. Therefore, a uniquely effective spraying is a composition prepared according to the following recipe: 1 kilogram of ash is added to 10 liters of water. This mixture is infused with a closed lid for 2 days. Next, it must be filtered, brought to a volume of 10 liters and used for spraying currants of any kind.
Destruction
Some gardeners prefer to solve the problem with aphids quickly - chemicals. That's right, it's impossible to say in monosyllables or not - you need to proceed from a specific situation. But, regardless of the drug chosen, you need to adhere to simple rule its applications:
- the first time the treatment is done before the buds open;
- the second spraying is performed when the leaves have blossomed, but no later than a month before picking the berries.
- Karbofos.
- Wofatoks.
- Kinmiks.
- Rovikurt.
For each drug, instructions for use have been developed - just do everything according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Including take care of your own safety - spraying is done using PPE.
