Along with fungal diseases, pests inflict no less damage to our gardens. Owners of apple trees know firsthand how caterpillars can bother plants by eating leaves, ovaries, fruits, young shoots and even bark of trees. In this article, we'll talk about black caterpillars on an apple tree and learn how to deal with them.
Features of fighting black caterpillars on apple
First of all, you should determine which pest is parasitic on your tree:
- if you notice furry black or dark brown caterpillars on an apple tree, about 6-7 cm long - it's probably a silkworm;
- currant rollworm - caterpillar with a black head and a pale green torso. It affects not only the currant, but also various fruit trees, including the apple tree;
- if the apple appeared small caterpillars with black longitudinal, perhaps it's hawthorn.
The basis of the struggle with caterpillars is the use of insecticides. Use the preparations "Carbofos", "Rovikurt", "Benzophosphate", or biological products - "Entobacterin", "Bitobacterin", "Phytoverm", "Lepidocide". In the popular and popular herbal remedies, such as infusion of bitter wormwood, a decoction of tomato leaves. They are effective against all leaf-eating pests, but they will have to be used frequently, preferably weekly.
Than to poison black caterpillars on an apple-tree, depends not so much on their species, but on the degree of damage to the tree. The big problem is that pests quickly adapt to the active substance that is part of the drug, and continue to destroy the tree. Therefore, the tool needs to be changed periodically, especially if you see that it becomes less effective.
Having found out on the underside of the leaves a laying of silkworm eggs, treat the tree with the virus drug Virin-ENZH. If this happened before the bud blossoming, it is permissible to treat the apple tree with nitrafen, and already before flowering, you can apply "Metaphos", "Carbophos" or "Zolon".
It is important to know that the fruits damaged by caterpillars become the cause of infection with fruit rot. Therefore, the pest should be controlled as soon as you
In addition to insecticides and biopreparations, use mechanical destruction of caterpillars. For this, under the tree lay a light film, and shake the pests on it. This method is especially effective in springtime against small black caterpillars on the apple tree, which hold tightly.
In autumn, after the fall leaves, all fallen leaves from such apple trees are collected and burned, as well as the damaged layer of bark, and the stems are sprayed with a solution of chlorophos.