Worm in a cherry: how to get rid of it, what to do

A worm in a cherry tree indicates that the plant is most likely infected with cherry fly larvae. Females of this type of pest make holes in the fruits of the tree and lay eggs in them. Then the developing larvae begin to eat the cherries, which causes damage to the berries.

When such fruits fall to the ground, the larvae burrow into the soil for the winter and reappear in the spring as flies. If your cherry tree is infested with these pests, you need to act quickly to get rid of them before too much damage is done.

Why cherries are wormy: causes and methods of control

The cherry fly is a small insect whose length varies from 3 to 5 mm. She spends the winter in the upper layers of the soil, and when it starts to warm up, she climbs to the surface to find food. These pests consume the secretions of cherry aphids, which have a sweet taste, as well as cherry and sweet cherry juice.

When the flies are full, they begin to lay offspring. Pests lay eggs inside the cherry. Wormy fruits begin to rot and fall to the ground.

The discovery of worms in early varieties of cherries is a rather rare case, because the flies do not have time to lay larvae in them. In order to combat these pests, gardeners loosen the soil around the tree trunk in the fall, summer and spring. The harvest must be harvested very quickly, and fallen cherry berries must be thrown away. When there are too many cherry flies in the garden, the trees need to be treated with insecticides.

Life cycle of cherry fly

The life cycle of the cherry fly is divided into three stages.

Flight and mating stage

This type of fly is part of the variegated fly family. She is born within a year. Adult insects fly out of the ground when it becomes warm and the ground warms up to +10 °C.

Attention! As a rule, flies fly out in mid-May.

They do not immediately begin to lay eggs. First, the female must eat the juice of early fruits. She does this for 12-14 days. Next comes the mating stage, and the female lays a larva.

Oviposition occurs during sunny weather. The temperature must be at least +18 °C. First, females hatch from the eggs, males hatch on the 4th or 5th day. Adults fly for about 45 days. After the fly lays an egg, it dies.

Larval stage

A week after oviposition, a white worm half a centimeter long hatches. The larva begins to eat the pulp, approaching the fruit seed.

This stage lasts 16-20 days. After its completion, when the length of the pest is already from 6 to 8 mm, it is selected and enters the pupa state.

Pupa stage

Usually the first pupae appear in early June. In order for a fly to complete its life cycle, it needs low temperatures. This is why cocoons overwinter in the ground. They become flies in April or May of the following year.

Damage caused

The cherry fly causes damage to all varieties of cherries. The damaged fruit becomes soft, darkens and ripens earlier than expected. Because of this, the cherries begin to rot and fall to the ground.

These pests can destroy the entire cherry crop. Because of them, small depressions appear on the berries. The larvae devour the pulp of the fruit, which makes it soft to the touch.

How to use wormy cherries

Wormy cherries can be eaten and various jams or compotes can be made from them. To make sure that there are no pests in the fruits, it is necessary to first clean the fruits from larvae.

How to peel a wormy berry

To get rid of pests in cherry fruits, you can soak them in salt water for several hours. This procedure is especially advisable before preparing jam or compote from berries.

Simply pour water into a large container and add a couple of tablespoons of salt. You need to stir the liquid and pour the cherries into it. After 2-3 hours, the worms will crawl out of the berries and float to the surface.

Is it possible to eat wormy cherries?

Many people eat cherries without looking inside to check for pests.And those who check throw out the berries that have been damaged by worms.

There is a small chance of poisoning if the worm has been living inside for too long and the berry has had time to rot a little. But eating fresh infected fruits does not affect human health in any way. You can eat wormy berries without fear for your condition.

What can you do with wormy berries?

After cleaning the wormy cherries, you can make various compotes and jams from them. You can simply eat it, but not everyone is happy to realize that there were worms in the berries. So if a person disdains damaged berries, but it’s a pity to throw them away, canning is an excellent solution.

Fighting cherry fly on cherries

To fight the cherry fly, at the beginning of spring it is necessary to cover the ground around the tree trunk with black film or roofing felt. They will not allow overwintered pests to fly out of the soil.

The harvest must be harvested very carefully. You cannot leave fruit on the tree. Fallen berries must be collected and buried half a meter in the ground.

How to spray cherries to prevent worms

It is advisable to treat cherries with chemicals only in extreme cases, when other means have not brought any effect. For treatment, you can use any insecticide, for example: “Iskra”, “Aktara”, “Karate” or “Fufanon”.

Important! Trees should not be treated 14 days before harvest.

When to spray cherries against cherry flies

Cherry trees and soil must be sprayed during the period of mass emergence of flies. If chemicals are used for processing, it should be stopped two weeks before the start of harvest.

If trees are treated with chemical-free products, the procedure must be repeated after rains.

Spraying cherries against cherry flies after flowering

Immediately after flowering, it is necessary to use Bordeaux mixture (0.1%) for treatment. If obvious signs of infection appear, Topaz or Chorus should be added to the solution.

After 2 or 3 weeks, you need to treat the cherry tree again with Bordeaux mixture.

How to treat cherries against cherry flies

You can fight the cherry fly using various means, depending on the time of year and the degree of infestation of the trees. First, the plant should be treated for prevention with folk remedies that do not contain chemicals.

If the tree is infected and folk remedies cannot cope, it is necessary to use chemicals.

Preparations for worms on cherries

Here is a list of the most effective drugs:

"Spark". It would be most appropriate to use the “Double Effect” series. The main components of this product are permethrin and cypermethrin. They provide the tree with protection for 60 days. Cherries do not need to be re-processed even after rains. The product is sold in the form of a concentrated emulsion, which is intended for the preparation of a working solution. It costs approximately 20 rubles.
"Aktara". This drug is a means of complex action. It is available in powder form. To prepare the solution, you need to dilute it in water. This drug should be used to treat the crown and ground near the trees. It costs about 40 rubles.
"Karate". This product can be used to prevent cherry flies, as it fights aphids. They need to spray the leaves in the mornings and evenings if there is no wind. The price of the drug is approximately 30 rubles.
"Fufanon". This product is suitable for pest control over a large area.The drug contains thiomethoxam. It can be used to treat cherry trees in any weather. A package of the product costs about 20 rubles.

How to get rid of cherry flies using folk remedies

To prevent the appearance of cherry flies, you can treat the tree with a solution from folk remedies that fights aphids. Such products include tobacco, wormwood decoction and laundry soap.

Spraying cherries against worms without chemicals

The best ingredient for creating a chemical-free solution is pine needles. You just need to take one branch of pine or spruce, put it in a pan filled with water and bring it to a boil. Treating wood with this product is harmless and effective.

Important! The tree should be treated with this solution after every rain.

You can also use a solution with garlic, onion, wormwood, tobacco or nightshade to combat worms in cherries.

Cherry fly traps

To combat worms in cherries, it is necessary to use special glue traps. Their effectiveness is approximately 60-70 percent.

Advice! You need to hang such traps on cherries in early June.

You can make this product yourself. To do this, you just need to cut many small pieces of red or yellow cardboard paper, coat them with glue and hang them on the tree.

When the berries fade, you need to hang cut bottles with sweet liquid inside on the tree. Its smell will attract insects. You need to monitor the traps, add new liquid to them and throw out dead pests.

How to deal with cherry fly on cherries: preventive measures

To avoid infection of cherry berries with the cherry fly, only early varieties of this plant can be grown.Its fruits usually ripen before the flies begin to lay eggs.

However, even if the insect manages to lay eggs, at the time of collection the larvae will be very small and invisible to the naked eye. They will not spoil the appearance of the berries and will not cause severe harm to the harvest.

Attention! Early cherry trees do not need to be treated with cherry fly control chemicals. Therefore, this plant must be planted away from late and mid-ripening varieties, so that when they are sprayed, the substance does not fall on early varieties.

Also, to avoid pests getting into the cherry berries, it is necessary to dig up the soil around the tree trunk before the flies fly out. This procedure helps to get rid of a significant part of pest cocoons.

Conclusion

If a person finds a worm in a cherry tree, he must take immediate pest control measures, as all trees may become infected. To treat plants, you can use both folk remedies and chemicals. The choice of product should depend on the degree of infestation and time of year.

How to get rid of worms in cherries