Content
Plants in the garden are often attacked by various insects. It is important to treat cabbage against flea beetles in time to preserve the harvest. Pests multiply quickly and are capable of completely destroying a vegetable crop in a few days.
Why are cabbage flea beetles dangerous?
The cabbage flea is a small bug that does not look like the usual blood-sucking flea. It has a convex oval body, no more than 3.5 mm in length. Has six legs. The hind ones have well-developed muscles on the thighs, thanks to which the insect jumps high. It can also fly quite well.
Most often the bugs are painted black, but there are:
- green;
- striped;
- blue;
- having a metallic luster;
- with a matte finish.
They begin to show activity when the spring temperature reaches +15°C. Adults immediately begin laying eggs and actively eating cabbage.
The area that the flea has eaten immediately begins to dry out.As a result, the head of cabbage does not have time to set and the plant dies. The insect prefers young cabbage, which has tender leaves. Pests do not attack after the head of cabbage is fully formed.
The flea lays eggs in the soil. The worm-like larvae penetrate the cabbage root system and eat it. Peak activity occurs in early summer in sunny weather.
Cabbage flea beetles multiply quickly, which leads to the death of the vegetable crop
Insects are less active in rainy weather, but at this time they often move on to lilies and roses, gnawing holes in the buds.
Signs of fleas on cabbage
Flea beetle infestation is observed by changes in the appearance of the vegetable crop:
- the destructive effect of the larvae on the root system is noticeable in the fading state of the foliage, which shrivels even with abundant watering;
- the appearance of adult individuals can be detected by extensive damage to the foliage, the appearance of cankers on the surface and gnawed interveins.
If severely damaged, cabbage seedlings quickly dry out and die.
Massive beetle infestation is noticeable by numerous holes on the leaves
How to deal with flea beetles on cabbage
The remedy for fleas on cabbage can be folk, biological or chemical. The choice is made depending on the number of insects that have attacked the vegetable crop.
How to get rid of fleas on cabbage using folk methods
The folk remedy for fleas on cabbage is the safest, but no less effective. Dry pollination of vegetables helps well. To do this, mix wood ash in equal proportions and choose from:
- slaked lime;
- tobacco or road dust.
The selected version of the mixture is placed in a gauze bag and shaken over the plant in the morning so that the product has time to stick to the leaves before the dew leaves them.
A sticky trap using thin plywood coated with resin helps get rid of fleas. The device is placed around the cabbage, and they begin to wave their arms from above, slightly touching the leaves. Frightened fleas jump out onto the adhesive base. After several approaches, the number of insects is noticeably reduced.
You can cover young seedlings with spunbond, through which pests cannot get through, and the cabbage will remain intact.
Decoctions and infusions help well in the fight against fleas:
- Tobacco leaves (200 g) are poured with hot water (10 l). Stir and leave for 2 hours. After this, filter and add 20 ml of liquid soap.
- Pour 20 ml of 9% vinegar into 10 liters of cold water.
- 500 g of roots and 500 g of fresh dandelion leaves are passed through a meat grinder. The mixture is poured into 10 liters of water. Stir. After half an hour, filter and combine with 20 ml of liquid soap.
- 20 ml of valerian are diluted in 10 liters of water, which can be replaced with ammonia.
- Boil 10 liters of water with 4 kg of potato tops for a quarter of an hour. Cool completely, then strain. Dilute with water in a 1:1 ratio.
The plants are treated with the prepared mixture in the evening.
Flea beetles love young seedlings most
How to fight cruciferous flea beetle on cabbage with biological preparations
Biological products cause much less harm to the environment than chemicals. To combat flea beetles on cabbage use:
- "Fitoverm". The active substance of the drug is made from the metaplasm of fungi living in the soil, which kills pests. 12 hours after treatment they are paralyzed, and death occurs within three days. The drug has no effect on larvae.
Flea beetles love young seedlings most
- "Aktofit". The drug is obtained from non-pathogenic soil fungi. The active component of the product adversely affects the nervous system of the pest. As a result, he dies. The entire surface of cabbage leaves is treated with a biological product. Use immediately after preparation.
How to fight cruciferous flea beetle on cabbage with chemicals
In case of a large-scale attack, folk remedies are ineffective. In this case, the cabbage should be treated against flea beetles with chemicals:
- "Bi-58". This is a systemic insecticide, except flea beetles, kills most pests. Dilute the substance in 10 liters of water.
- "Imidalit." The preparation is used to treat the seeds before planting, thereby effectively protecting the cabbage during further cultivation.
- "Decis". A universal-action drug that is recommended to treat the plant at an air temperature of at least 25°C.
- "Diazinon". To prevent flea attacks, treat the soil with the preparation before planting seedlings.
- "Bankol." The advantage is minimal danger to the environment. It is non-toxic to humans, beneficial insects and animals.Fleas die 72 hours after treatment.
- "Naphthalene". The most affordable and also safest drug. The balls are scattered along the cabbage beds. For 1 sq. m use 5 g of the product.
- "Karate". Has the longest period of protective action. After a few minutes, it penetrates the insect through the cuticle and paralyzes it. The flea dies after half an hour. In some cases the process can take up to 3 hours. This is due to climatic conditions and the physical condition of the pest. The drug works even in rainy weather. Not phytotoxic to crops. Maintains its effect for a week.
Preventing the appearance of cruciferous flea beetle on cabbage
Prevention plays a big role in the fight against fleas. Crop rotation must be observed. To do this, cabbage is planted annually in a new place, alternating with other crops. A bed after vegetables from the Solanaceae family is ideal.
You cannot plant turnips and radishes next to cabbage. If a flea beetle appears on one of these plants, it will destroy all nearby vegetable crops.
After planting, seedlings are sprayed with vinegar solution weekly until the heads of cabbage become strong.
By planting seedlings early, you can prevent flea beetles from attacking cabbage.
Pests do not tolerate moisture, so it is worth sprinkling the beds daily. Also, fleas do not tolerate rich aromas. That’s why they plant it nearby:
- calendula;
- garlic;
- marigold;
- tomatoes;
- caraway.
During the growing process, it is necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner. As a result, conditions will become unsuitable for the reproduction, residence and development of flea beetles.In small areas, you can collect and destroy the larvae with your hands.
Advice from gardeners
Experienced gardeners advise observing the timing of planting cabbage seedlings to avoid a massive flea beetle attack. The best time is before and after the main stage of pest development. Early variety vegetables should be planted in early April, and late varieties in July. This will give the cabbage time to develop and the leaves to harden, which will become unattractive to adults.
Flea beetles overwinter in the top layer of soil, so it’s worth digging up the beds before frost. Individuals that find themselves on the surface die from night frosts.
To make cabbage stronger faster and become unattractive to pests, you need to regularly feed it with saltpeter and organic matter.
If you have a car, you can catch pests with a piece of cloth soaked in used diesel oil. The material is placed on sheets of cardboard or iron and laid out on beds, maintaining a distance of 4 m between traps. After two days, the fabric is turned over to the other side.
Experienced gardeners daily scatter fresh wormwood tied in bunches between the rows of cabbage. Pine or fir oil is also added to the water for irrigation. For 10 liters of water, 15 drops are enough. Thus, the strong aroma helps repel pests.
If you have a car vacuum cleaner, you can vacuum the cabbage. All insects will end up in the trash bag and all that remains is to carefully destroy them.
Conclusion
You can treat cabbage against flea beetles in various ways. The main thing is to start fighting immediately after detecting the first signs of a pest attack, otherwise the vegetable crop will quickly die.
