Content
Protecting from pests, including fighting glassworms on currants, is an essential component of proper care for this garden crop. Glasswort is an insect that can not only cause damage to the plant, reducing productivity, but also cause its death. A set of preventive measures and the use of special means will help solve this problem.
Signs of currant glass
The currant glass beetle is a wasp-like insect that belongs to the butterfly family. Its characteristic features:
- oblong body covered with dark scales, up to 1 cm long;
- light yellow stripes on the abdomen: 3 - in the female, 4 - in the male;
- thin transparent, glass-like wings with black veins and a narrow orange border along the edges, reaching a span of 22 - 28 mm.
The photo shows the described signs of glass on the bush.
The basis of nutrition for the glass is plant sap and pollen.At the end of May - beginning of June, females lay up to 50 - 60 eggs of regular oval shape. For laying, they use recesses and microcracks in the bark of tree-like shoots of currants, gooseberries, and raspberries, choosing a place closer to young buds.
Glassworm larvae are dangerous for garden crops, including currants. They are caterpillars 2 - 2.5 cm long, light beige or white in color with a dark head. Starting from the 10th day after emergence, they penetrate deep into the shoots, develop and feed there. Gradually they move towards the base of the branch, completely destroying its core. By the spring of the second year, the larva emerges from a shoot near the soil surface, turns into a pupa, and then, in June, when the temperature is above 15 degrees Celsius, into a butterfly, which can lay eggs on the same bush. Thus, the number of larvae increases. These are young individuals that have settled in new growths, as well as individuals from last year living in woody branches. Thus, some specimens develop on a one-year cycle, and some on a two-year cycle. The active life of the glass lasts 40 - 42 days, the mass life lasts up to 10 - 18 days and ends by the period of ripening of currant berries. The insect's lifespan is 2 years.
Why is glassware dangerous for currants?
Glasswort poses a danger to black and red currants. In the first year of infestation by this pest, diseased branches do not differ in appearance from healthy ones. But gradually the first signs of bush diseases appear:
- a sharp decrease in the size of berries and leaves on the shoot;
- withering of a bush that has not yet bloomed;
- few peduncles and low quality ovaries;
- discarding unripe berries;
- shoot growth by autumn is less than 15 cm;
- the most informative sign of damage to currant glass is a darkened, almost black core with a hole in the central part;
- on the longitudinal section of the damaged branch, a passage is visible, partially filled with excrement, and sometimes a caterpillar can be found in it;
- at the base of the branches, in the places where the butterflies emerge, the skin of the pupae can be observed for several days, which is then blown away by the wind or removed by precipitation.
The next year after the plant is infected with a pest, the currant branches begin to dry out. By this time, the glass larva, having completely eaten the shoot from the inside, descends to its base and comes to the surface. If drastic measures are not taken, the currants will die.
In warm weather, glass can damage almost the entire berry plant in a short time. The foliage of the bushes begins to gradually wither, the branches dry out and break off, their internal tissues turn into dust.
Protecting currants from glass is complicated by a number of reasons:
- long periods of pest infestation;
- mild initial symptoms of damage;
- hidden presence of larvae in the tissues of the bush;
- the presence in one generation of individuals that develop in both an annual and a two-year cycle.
Glass damages black currants to the greatest extent. In perennial plantings, 10–50% of shoots are damaged by this pest. Red and white currants are less susceptible to invasion by this insect - up to 10 - 30% of branches.Due to currant glass, the annual shortage of berries is 3 - 7 kg per hundred square meters.
Means for combating glassware on currants
You can fight glassware on black, red, and white currant bushes using biological, chemical, and agrotechnical methods.
A way to detect the appearance of glass butterflies during their summer is to install traps. To this end:
- place containers with a solution of fermented currant jam in water (1:1) in the crown of the bush;
- hang light traps in the form of sheets of cardboard, plywood or whatman paper painted in bright colors (yellow, pink, orange) at the height of the crown, and troughs with syrup are placed under them.
Insects attracted by the color or smell of the trap fall into the sugar solution and die. Based on the number of individuals caught in the container, a conclusion is drawn about the need to protect the currants from glass.
More information about the fight against glassware using a live example is in the video:
Chemical
The use of chemicals - insecticides - gives positive results in the fight against glassware. They are only effective when in direct contact with insects. The products will not have any effect on the caterpillar located inside the shoot. The table shows the characteristics of some chemicals for destroying currant glass. They are consumed in the amount of 1 - 1.5 liters per bush. They have a high impact rate: insects die within 1 - 3 hours.
A drug | Characteristic | Preparation of a solution in water | Recommendations for processing glass currants |
Karbofos | A universal plant protection product against ticks and insects. | 30 g per 4 l | Treat 2 times every 2 weeks. |
Kemifos | An insecticide with a spectrum of action similar to Karbofos. | 5 ml per 5 l | Use only fresh solution during the initial growing season. |
Fufanon | Organophosphate-based drug with universal action. | 10 mg per bucket | Treat up to two times per season. |
Trichlorometaphos-3 | Contact organophosphorus insecticide of systemic action. Destroys glass larvae and pupae on the soil surface. | 10 g per 5 l | • Spray the soil around the currant bush before flowering; • Product consumption 2 - 5 liters per 1 m2; • Frequency of treatment - once every 2 - 3 weeks. |
Kinmiks | An effective drug to combat insects and their larvae. | 4 ml per 10 l | • Spray before and after flowering; • Validity period – more than 3 weeks. |
Spark M | Low-toxic contact agent for the control of sucking and gnawing insects, has a partial fumigation effect. | 5 ml per 5 l | • Spray plants in the morning or evening in calm, calm weather; • 1 – 2 treatments per season; • Validity period – from two weeks. |
Biological
Biological preparations for the treatment of glass currants have the same mechanism of action as chemical insecticides. But they do not accumulate in the berries and do not cause the death of beneficial soil microflora.Their disadvantage is their low rate of impact on pests compared to chemicals.
The following are highly effective in destroying glassware:
- Fitoverm (2 mg per 1 l);
- Bitoxibacillin (50 g per 5 l);
- Spark Gold (5 ml per 10 l).
The crown of the currant bush and the tree trunk are treated with solutions of biological products. The optimal processing time is the end of May - June, during the period when the glass larvae have already appeared, but have not yet had time to penetrate inside the shoots. Treatment is carried out 2 - 3 times every two weeks, solution consumption - 0.5 - 1.5 liters per bush.
Folk
The essence of folk methods of combating currant glass is the use of intense odors that repel the pest. Proven methods:
- plant crops with a strong smell between the rows of currants, such as garlic, onions, tomatoes, calendula, marigolds;
- plant an elderberry bush next to the berry garden, which has an unpleasant aroma for the glass, or you can hang its inflorescences on currants;
- avoid the proximity of currants to bird cherry, which attracts pests;
- near the currant bush, place a container with sand soaked in diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, or hang rags moistened with these liquids or a tar solution (0.5 tbsp per 5 liters of water) in the crown of the bush;
- Spray the shrubs during the summer from the glass with infusions of strong-smelling plants (pine, tansy, wormwood, citrus peel, onion, garlic), ammonia, vinegar.
The table describes recipes for infusions that repel pests.
Infusion | Recipe | Processing rules |
Citrus | 150 g of peels of any citrus are brewed in 1 liter of boiling water. Let it brew for 5 days in a cool, dark room. | Spray currants 3 times every 10-14 days. |
Onion | 1 liter of chopped onion is steamed with 1 liter of warm water. Keep in a closed container for 24 hours. | Treat the bush when a glass case appears with a solution of onion tincture (20 ml per 10 liters of water). |
Garlic | Chop a medium-sized head of garlic, then pour in 1 liter of boiled water. Leave for at least a week. | Before treatment, make a solution: 50 ml of tincture per 8 liters of water. Spray the berry plant when glass appears. |
Agrotechnical measures to combat glassware on currants
The use of correct methods for cultivating currants, aimed at destroying the glass beetle and its larvae, increases the effectiveness of chemical and biological insecticides and serves to prevent the spread of the pest in the garden.
Agrotechnical measures to combat glassware:
- The soil under and around the bush is actively loosened during May and June. During this period, pupae appear from the glass glass larvae and leave the internal tissues of the plant.
- Tobacco or wood ash, which has a repellent odor, is added to the soil.
- Areas of single shoots damaged by glassweed are trimmed back to healthy tissue. Completely affected branches are cut down to soil level.
- If the entire plant is damaged by a pest, it is sanitary pruned “to zero.”
How to get rid of glass from currants
It is recommended to include measures to protect against glass and other pests in the procedures for spring and autumn care of currants.
How to treat glass currants in spring
Spring processing of currants is carried out, focusing on the years of glass. In addition to the chemical and biological preparations discussed, you can use the composition Antonem-F (200 ml per bush). They spray the crown of the bush when the buds open.
Currant cuttings are treated with the drug Nemabakt to protect against glassware before planting in the ground. To do this, they are placed for three days in sand soaked in insecticide. The air temperature should be about 25 degrees Celsius.
How to process glass currants in the fall
Autumn treatment of currants from glass is a preventive measure. In addition to sanitary pruning and timely application of fertilizers, after picking berries, you can use one of the following:
- spray the bushes with a 10% solution of karbofos (75 g per bucket) twice every 10 days;
- spray the currants with Bordeaux mixture;
- treat the crown of the bush with a solution of urea (150 g per 5 l);
- pour a pale solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) onto the soil previously loosened around the bush;
- prepare a solution of copper sulfate (50 g per 10 l) and water the soil in the area around the tree trunk.
Resistant varieties
Currants, which are absolutely resistant to glassworm damage, have not yet been selected. The following currant varieties are characterized by the greatest endurance:
- Black: Perun, Vigorous, Summer resident;
- White: - Dessert, Belyana, Ural white;
- Red: - Early Sweet, Marmalade, Jonker Van Tets, Natalie.
More details about pest control in the video:
Preventive actions
Preventive measures reduce the risk of plants being damaged by currant glass. To prevent infection of the berry plant, the following measures are recommended:
- purchasing currant seedlings in specialized stores or nurseries, carefully examining for signs of damage when purchasing planting material “from hand”;
- discarding cuttings with dead buds and shoots with a black hole in the center;
- regular, after 10 - 20 days, inspection and sanitary pruning of dried branches below the drying line by 4 - 5 cm;
- elimination of mechanical damage to branches and trunks of shrubs;
- Carrying out preventive sanitary pruning of currants in spring and autumn with the removal of damaged, dried shoots lying on the ground;
- disinfection and treatment of cuttings with garden varnish;
- examination of currant branches in warm weather from October to February: the affected shoots break when bent, they must be cut back to healthy wood, in some cases - below ground level.
Conclusion
To combat glassware on currants, all available methods are used in combination: they treat plants in spring and autumn with chemical and biological agents, use agricultural methods, and resort to folk remedies. The most effective is mechanical destruction of glass, as well as manual sawing and burning of damaged branches.It will not be possible to completely eradicate this pest from the garden; it is only possible to reduce its numbers.
