Pear copperhead - methods of struggle and protection

Pear copperhead, aka pear leaf spot, originates from Europe and Asia. At the moment, this species is the worst enemy of gardeners in Western Europe and is widespread everywhere. The European origin causes a higher activity at low temperatures than in insects that emigrated from the West, but the warm season is still the best for the honey bee.

Description

Pear copperhead is a small insect with a length of 2.5 - 3 mm. Depending on the season, it has a different body color. In winter - dark brown, in summer - yellow-yellow-hot. There are distinct dark transverse stripes on the body. There are 2 pairs of wings on the back, the hind limbs are adapted for jumping.

Thanks to this structure, the pear leafhopper is capable of actively moving through the plant, as well as migrating from one tree to another by flying or jumping, depending on the distance to be covered.

Phytophagus prefers young pear trees. Harm in the larval and imago stages. It feeds on the cell sap of the plant, while it almost indiscriminately affects the buds of trees, flowers, leaves and fruits.

The specifics of pear honeydew nutrition disrupt the normal life processes of the plant, which leads to the deterioration of the ability to photosynthesize and, as a result, the death of tissues (leaves, flowers, buds, fruits).

The insect secretes a sticky liquid similar to molasses, the so-called pada or honeydew, thus getting rid of excess sugar obtained from the plant. This fall creates optimal conditions for the development of sooty fungus, and also attracts ants that eat it. There is a theory that ants help aphids, as well as aphids, to survive the winter. Thus saving the power source.

Life cycle

The life cycle of pear honeydew begins with wintering. Wintering of the leaf beetle begins at the end of autumn - October, November. Depending on the climatic conditions, individuals hibernate in the cracks of trees and under the bark. Capable of wintering in the imago stage. Diapause ends in the spring. The insect needs energy, and at +2-3C the honeybees begin to feed actively, at 5-7C they mate, and at 9-11C they lay eggs.

The life span of a female is 30-40 days, males die immediately after mating. During her lifetime, a female pear leafhopper lays 300-800 eggs at intervals of 5-7 days.

The first stage of development is the egg. The egg of the pear honeybee develops within 6-20 days, depending on the air temperature. Simply put, the warmer, the faster. The egg has an elliptical shape, a length of about 0.3 mm and a white color that turns yellow during development.

The next stage is the nymph, which goes through several molts before turning into an adult. In the process of growth, the nymph of the pear moth acquires a darker color, from yellow to brown. By the third molt, the formation of wings begins.

The last stage is the imago. The complete cycle of transformation from egg to adult is 20-60 days, depending on climatic conditions.

Harm, that it make

Having a mouth apparatus of the prickly-sucking type, it pierces plant tissues and consumes its juices. This leads to impaired photosynthesis and transpiration. They live in a colonial system, which increases the amount of damage to the plant and leads to a decrease in the yield.

In the process of vital activity, honeydew is released, which is an optimal environment for the development of fungal diseases, including sooty fungus. Sticky secretions attract ants, which in turn are carriers of aphids, which increases the scope of the problem.

Detection methods
Pear leaf aphid provokes inhibition of leaf development. The flowers of the plant begin to turn brown and die. If the tree is already affected by coppery mildew, the fruits will have a pronounced deformation. A sticky substance forms on the leaf. The leaves may turn black due to a fungus, but the root cause is coppery mildew. A mass influx of ants or aphids also serves as a signal of the presence of aphids.

Measures of treatment

There are quite a few different insecticides designed to defeat the pear honeydew. But taking into account the ability of the insect to actively move, it is worth thinking about how many trees need to be processed and how this will affect the quality and benefit of the harvest.

Nature has long made sure that there is a balance in all processes. In agronomy, it is now called biological means of protection. At the moment, among the natural enemies of aphids, we can single out the predatory bug Antochoris nemoralis, which hunts from early spring to late autumn, which corresponds to the life cycle of honey bees as much as possible. It occasionally eats aphids and fruit mite eggs with pleasure. Beetles of the ladybird family - Delfastus Catalina and Cryptolemus Montezieri, which eat whiteflies and mealybugs along the way, are also useful.

Treatment with systemic chemical insecticides is practiced, but the side effect is the accumulation of chemicals in plants and fruits. Therefore, biological insecticides developed on the basis of natural substances come to the rescue. For example, the bio insect acaricide Imexab™ contains a complex of natural avermectin 1% and emamectin 0.2%, which makes it possible to effectively fight against coppery mildew and a wide range of pests in general. The dosage is 10 g/10 l of water. The drug also has an ovicidal effect, that is, it destroys the egg-laying of pests, which is why its effectiveness against the copperhead is quite high. When the pest appears, it is recommended to start treatment, and repeat it after 7-10 days.

However, if honeydew is already present on the leaves, then you need to wash the trees. For this, a detergent is used (for example, Gala - 200-300 ml/ha), and after the honeydew is washed off, Imexab™ is used. If this is not done, the effectiveness of the drug may decrease significantly.

To enhance the effect of the active substance, it is recommended to add Izomax™ adjuvant 2ml/10l to the tank solution during processing. This will allow the plant to be evenly covered with the working solution and will ensure penetration into the most difficult places.