Cruciferous fleas are effective methods of protection

Cruciferous or cabbage fleas belong to the family of leaf-eating beetles (by the way, the infamous Colorado beetle also belongs to it) and the subfamily of garden or ground fleas. There are more than 150 species of these insects in our country. It is very difficult for a non-specialist to understand their systematics. But many summer residents know cabbage fleas "in person" - small greenish-black bugs about three millimeters in length, capable of jumping high. We will consider what damage cruciferous fleas cause to garden plants and how to deal with them in the article.

What are cruciferous fleas and how do they live?

There are 21 species of cruciferous or cabbage flea beetles.

The most common are the following types:

• wavy (has yellow longitudinal stripes on elytra);

• light-footed (narrow yellow stripes on the scutes, legs - yellow, size up to 3.5 mm);

• notched, the stripes on the elytra have a noticeable notch;

• blue (garden) greenish-blue with black tendrils;

• black earth or ordinary cruciferous. The color is dark matte or greenish with a metallic tint, the rows on the elytra consist of large dots.

Adult cruciferous fleas and their larvae feed on cultivated and wild plants of the cruciferous family, including all types of cabbage, radish and radish, daikon, rutabaga, horseradish, watercress, matiola, alyssum and many other plants. They scrape the cuticle from young leaves, eating the juicy pulp.

A characteristic sign of the appearance of these pests are small holes on the leaves - traces of bites. Cruciferous flea is very dangerous for seedlings. Affected plants grow poorly, and damaged leaf tissue is a gateway for fungal and bacterial plant diseases.

This beetle hibernates under last year's plant remains, left on the beds, at a shallow depth. They appear when the daily temperature is set to +15°C. Female fleas lay eggs in the ground (from the end of June to the end of July), young roots serve as food for the larvae. An exception is the light-legged cruciferous flea, the larvae of which develop inside the leaves of plants, leaving characteristic tracks. It most often damages radishes and radishes.

Pests are active in hot, dry weather, and they do not like rain or heavy watering. Larval pupation usually occurs after 5-14 days in early August. Young fleas that have hatched in autumn hide in the surface layers of the soil under plant remains. In the southern regions, two or even three generations of these pests are possible per season.

How to treat cruciferous flea?

1. Simple mechanical methods of combating this pest

For example:

• A sheet of paper, thin plywood or a piece of cloth is covered with an adhesive substance (solidol, glue, honey, garden boil or resin), attached to a stick and waved over the seedlings, slightly touching the plants. Frightened insects jump out and stick. You will have to catch fleas in several approaches, the number of insects will decrease in a few days. This method is especially relevant in hot, dry weather.
• A cone is rolled out of thick paper, the inside is smeared with an adhesive substance and the plant is covered with it. Some of the frightened insects are glued. You can make cones for each plant.
• Small pieces of plywood or cardboard are smeared with an adhesive substance and placed in the rows.
• Place bowls or other containers with water in the rows. A little vegetable oil or kerosene is added there - it also serves as a kind of trap.
• Rags soaked in used oil are spread between the plants.

2. Insecticides against cruciferous flea

It is believed that the use of chemicals is necessary when plants are severely affected by these pests (more than five individuals per plant). It should be noted that the use of chemical plant protection products is not suitable for plants with a short growing season (radish, watercress, etc.), because they can be used at least three weeks before harvesting and using them for food purposes. In these cases, you should use bioinsecticides that are effective against this pest.

Processing is recommended to be carried out in dry, windless weather, without watering the plants beforehand. If you are unlucky and it rains after treating the plants, you will have to repeat the spraying.

The most effective chemical insecticides against cruciferous flea:

• Aktara is a systemic insecticide of contact-intestinal action against many types of pests, including pine and stealth insects;
• Actellik is a non-systemic organophosphorus insectoacaricide of contact-intestinal action, used to combat sucking and leaf-gnawing pests;
• Karate - a combined contact-systemic insecticide against sucking and leaf-gnawing insects;
• Decis is a broad-spectrum contact-intestinal insecticide of the pyrethroid group. Effectively destroys hardy-winged, lepidopterous and iso-winged pests.

This is far from the entire list, so it is better to consult with sellers when buying a chemical insecticide.

As a biological alternative to chemical preparations, we recommend the bioinsecticide Imexab™, in a dosage of 10g/10l of water. The composition includes a complex of natural avermectins and emamectins. The ability of avermectins to quickly decompose in the environment prevents their accumulation in seeds, fruits, vegetables and soil. Therefore, Imexab™ is used on vegetable and fruit and berry crops 48 hours before harvesting and it is suitable for protecting plants of a short growing season.

Imexab™ has a contact-intestinal effect. When a pest enters the body, the nervous system is completely paralyzed.

The first signs of the product:

• cessation of feeding, are observed after 6-8 hours for leaf-gnawers and after 12-16 hours for sucking pests
• mass death occurs 2-3 days after treatment
• the maximum effect is achieved on the 5-7th day
• the protective effect of the drug lasts up to 10-20 days
• Imexab in regulated norms is not toxic to aphids, spiders, predatory bugs, parasitic lepidoptera, ants, ground beetles, and earthworms.

Since cruciferous crops have a strong wax coating that repels liquid, this reduces the effectiveness of treatments due to liquid draining. To increase the effectiveness of treatments, it is recommended to add Izomax™ 2ml/10l adjuvant to the tank solution, which evenly covers the plants and protects the working solution from washing away. After just 20 minutes, your crop is reliably protected.

An example of Izomax™ work:

Grape

Cabbage

Have a good harvest!