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Worms in tomatoes cause serious damage to the crop. To get rid of parasites, you need to determine their type and choose the best treatment option.
Signs of damage to tomatoes by worms
Worms on tomatoes are not always clearly visible, especially if there are few pests. But upon careful examination of the fruit, you can see characteristic signs of the presence of parasites:
- small, uneven lesions on the surface of tomatoes;
- small holes in the fruit that go deep;
- spots and rotten areas on tomatoes.
An indirect sign of the presence of worms is damage to flowers and falling of the ovary. If pests attack the root system, the tomato will begin to dry out and wither.
What worms eat tomatoes
Photos of tomato worms show that several types of pests feed on ripening tomatoes. In summer you can see on the bushes:
- cutworm caterpillars - brown, black or greenish worms that eat fruits and green parts of tomatoes;
The cutworm attacks tomatoes 3-4 times per season
- click beetle larvae - the insect has an oblong yellow body, reaches about 3 cm in length, damages mainly the roots of tomato bushes;
The larvae of the click beetle, or wireworm, attack tomatoes up to four times a summer
- May beetle larvae - pests are usually white with a light orange head, eat underground shoots of tomato;
Khrushchev larvae, or May beetle, appear in early summer
- root-knot nematode - round worms up to 1 mm in length live in the roots and lead to the formation of tuberous thickenings.
Under the influence of root-knot nematode, the tomato begins to lag behind in development and dies
Most often, cutworm larvae cause damage to tomato bushes and ripening fruits. Wireworms, beetles and nematodes attack tomatoes less often, but this does not make them any less dangerous.
Features of the fight against worms
Before dealing with tomato worms, you need to assess their location and the damage they cause. The procedure depends largely on which parts of the tomato are affected.
In fruits
If worms have settled in ripening tomatoes, first of all it is necessary to destroy all the affected fruits. These tomatoes can no longer be eaten. Therapeutic treatment of bushes should be aimed at obtaining new healthy tomatoes.
In the stems
It is quite easy to combat pests that have taken root in the stems. If treatment is started in a timely manner, the worms do not have time to cause much damage to the crop. It is important to notice the insects and get rid of them before the fruits begin to ripen, since some caterpillars first feed on the tops and then move on to the tomatoes themselves.
In the roots
Worms that attack the tomato root system are considered the most dangerous. They are difficult to get rid of, and the presence of the pest often becomes obvious too late.
If you manage to notice worms in the roots in the early stages, it is necessary to treat both the tomato bush and the soil with insecticides. It is better to completely remove severely damaged plants from the site to preserve the health of neighboring plants.
How to get rid of worms in tomatoes
You can treat tomatoes against worms with several preparations. Some are organic, others are strong chemicals.
Biological products
Biological preparations work well against worms in tomatoes and do not harm the vegetable crop. They can be used at almost all stages of the growing season.
Boverin
The active component of the drug is a fungus from the genus Beauveria, which grows into the body structure of worms and has a toxic effect on parasites. The product is available for sale in liquid and powder form. To prepare the working solution, you need to stir about 30 ml of the drug in a bucket of water.
The resulting product is sprayed on tomato bushes on a dry but sunny day. If worms have attacked the root system of tomatoes, Boverin can be used for watering. In this case, the product is prepared more concentrated - up to 500 ml of liquid per 10 liters.
When using the drug Boverin, it is necessary to consume 5-20 liters of solution per 100 m2
Spraying of tomatoes is carried out several times with a break of 7-14 days. It is desirable that the air temperature be 24-26 °C.
Bitoxibacillin
Another bacterial preparation contains fungal strains that are toxic to pests.It is a dry powder intended for dilution in water. The principle of action of the drug is intestinal - it enters the body of worms when feeding, affects the reproductive system and interferes with the reproduction process.
To carry out spraying, it is necessary to dilute 50-100 g of Bitoxibacillin in 10 liters of warm water. A homogeneous solution is sprayed on the leaves of bushes at a temperature of about 25 ° C in sunny weather.
The drug Bitoxibacillin helps not only against worms, but also against several dozen other types of pests
Chemicals
If the worms on tomatoes have managed to multiply greatly, it is better to remove them using chemicals. Such products pose a certain danger to the tomatoes themselves - toxic substances can accumulate in the fruits. Therefore, they cannot be used before harvesting. But the effectiveness of chemical compositions is very good.
Aktara
Wormy tomatoes can be treated with an enteric-contact insecticide, which demonstrates high effectiveness against most insects. About 2 g of the drug is dissolved in a bucket of liquid and stirred until completely homogeneous. Then the product is used to spray the plantings. If you need to treat the soil, the concentration when preparing the solution is doubled.
Aktara is highly effective in all weather conditions and helps get rid of worms on tomatoes in hot and cool periods. Treatments are carried out as necessary; 3-4 sprayings are allowed per season.
The protective effect of Aktara lasts up to 28 days
Fitoverm
An enteric insecticide helps get rid of worms, Colorado potato beetles, whiteflies, aphids and other insects.Contains aversectin C, which has a paralyzing effect on the nervous system of parasites. The death of the worms occurs 2-3 days after processing the tomatoes.
To prepare the product for spraying, you need to dilute 4-10 ml of the drug in a bucket of water. The treatment is carried out at a temperature of 15-25 ° C, the weather should be clear and windless. It is necessary to irrigate tomatoes in the evening or in the morning. The protective effect of the product lasts up to three weeks in the absence of rain.
Fitoverm is safe for soil and breaks down into non-toxic substances in two days
Folk recipes
You can also fight wormy tomatoes with homemade products. Their effectiveness is relatively low, but quite sufficient with a small number of pests.
Garlic infusion
Fresh garlic repels pests with its pungent odor and allows you to get rid of worms if they have not yet spread widely throughout the tomatoes. The infusion is prepared as follows:
- Chop a head of fresh garlic and place the pulp in a glass jar.
- Pour 1 liter of boiling water over the raw material and leave for three days.
- After time, filter the infusion.
- Add 10 liters of lukewarm clean water to the concentrate.
Spraying tomatoes against worms is carried out at weekly intervals until the parasites completely disappear.
Wormwood decoction
A good remedy for worms and other parasites is wormwood infusion. You can prepare the drug at home using the following algorithm:
- Fresh shoots and leaves of wormwood are crushed and poured into a bucket about 1/3 full.
- Pour water over the greens and boil for about half an hour over low heat.
- Infuse the broth under the lid for two days and then filter.
- Dilute with clean water in a ratio of 1:10.
The resulting product is used to spray a plot of tomatoes. Treatments are carried out 2-3 times a month. Wormwood decoction not only eliminates worms, but also prevents their reappearance.
Tobacco infusion
An infusion of tobacco dust can be used to treat tomatoes against worms. It has a poisonous and repellent effect, although it remains safe for the tomatoes themselves. The preparation scheme for the remedy looks like this:
- 300 g of tobacco dust or crushed leaves are poured into an enamel bucket.
- Pour 10 liters of hot water into the raw material.
- Covered and left to infuse for a day.
- After the expiration date, the resulting preparation is filtered.
It is necessary to spray tomatoes with tobacco infusion in warm and dry weather in the absence of bright sun. The procedure can be repeated every ten days. You can use this home remedy even a few days before harvest.
There is usually no point in using home remedies for a large number of pests - the effect will be too weak
Agrotechnical methods
In the process of fighting worms on tomatoes, it is necessary not only to spray, but also to follow the correct agricultural techniques. This will allow you to quickly deal with insects and protect the bushes from their reappearance.
Planting herbs that repel pests
If tomatoes often suffer from worms and other parasites, it is advisable to plant aromatic herbs around the perimeter of the beds or in the spaces between the rows. Plants repel pests with a strong odor and also release antiseptic substances into the soil. The best ways to fight worms are:
- lupine;
- elder;
- white mustard;
- calendula;
- onion and garlic.
The listed crops help well both against worms that feed on tops and against soil parasites.
Digging the soil
Many tomato pests live in the soil or lay eggs in it, from which worms later hatch. Regular deep digging can reduce the likelihood of parasites appearing on the site.
The procedure should be carried out in the fall and spring before planting tomatoes. The soil is loosened to a depth of approximately 15 cm. When growing bushes, it is also recommended to carefully loosen the soil after each watering.
Prevention measures
Removing worms from tomatoes can be quite difficult. Therefore, when growing vegetables, fundamental attention should be paid to prevention:
- purchase tomato seeds only from trusted and reliable manufacturers;
- give preference to varieties with high immunity to fungi and pests;
- carry out pre-planting treatment of the material, including disinfection of seeds and soaking them in a growth stimulator;
- observe the optimal frequency of watering, do not over-moisten the soil and do not allow it to dry out;
- regularly feed tomatoes with minerals and organic matter;
- from time to time, loosen the soil in the garden or greenhouse;
- remove weeds from tomatoes.
Tomatoes need to be planted with small spaces between the bushes. Too dense an arrangement increases the likelihood of worms in the stems, roots and fruits.
To protect tomato bushes from parasites, it is recommended to regularly treat the soil with disinfecting compounds.In early spring, before planting the crop, you can spill the area with boiling water or a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
With the onset of autumn, it is necessary to remove all plant debris from the area with tomatoes - pests can overwinter under it
Conclusion
Worms in tomatoes make the fruit unsuitable for consumption and also generally have a depressing effect on the crop. The fight against parasites must begin when the first warning signs appear. It is allowed to use both chemicals and homemade products.
