If you notice that a black midge has appeared on tomatoes growing on your beds, then get ready to fight for the crop - aphids, one of the most famous and dangerous pests of garden and garden plants, have visited you. Do not be surprised at their appearance - black midges with or without transparent wings - this is one of the subspecies of the aphids known to all. The difference is only in appearance. It will harm the plant no less than its more famous "sister", which has a pale green color - will suck the juices, while actively multiplying and increasing its ranks, because of which the plant will die. Destroying the affected plant, the aphid will move to the neighboring one, and thus destroy all available bushes.
How to get rid of black midges?
There are several ways to deal. The first, most affordable, is the destruction of aphids with their own hands, without the use of auxiliary means. If insects do not have time to fill your garden, and you observe small clusters of them, try rinsing them with a stream of water from a hose or removing them by hand, examining each bush. On bushes, including on tomatoes, black midges have the largest accumulations on the underside of leaves.
Another cost-effective method is to kill aphids by “using the services” of other insects that feed on it, and small birds. Some wasps, a lace-eyed, a fly-bug and a ladybug do not mind eating aphids. Contrary to popular belief, ants do not eat aphids. On the contrary, they protect it, using as a source of nutrition - the sweetish liquid that aphids secrete by eating young leaves of plants. To attract insects useful in the fight against aphids, plant fragrant herbs. Unfortunately, this method is also effective only if you found black gnats on tomatoes in small quantities.
One of the qualitative ways to prevent the aphid invasion is to plant the plants on the beds so that the crops on which this insect does not settle alternate with varieties of interest to it. So, for example, garlic and onions repel aphids.
If there is a large amount of black midge on tomatoes, then you still have to fight it, using various chemical means, by spraying them with the leaves of the plant. You can use special tools for combating aphids produced by the industry. In order not to harm the plant, it is better to use softer organic pesticides and insecticides. For example, products based on vegetable oils, fatty acids or pyrethrins. In addition, you can create such funds yourself, using the substances available in every home.
- A mixture of liquid soap (2 tablespoons), water (2 cups) and vegetable oil (glass).
- The garlic-based product includes the same components, but in different proportions plus garlic: liquid soap - 1 teaspoon, water - half a liter, 2 teaspoons of oil, 5 cloves of chopped garlic.
- A very effective remedy is prepared on the basis of tomato leaves: 2 cups of chopped leaves in 2 cups of water. Leaves should be poured with water and left for at least 12 hours. The resulting infusion should treat the affected plants.
If there is black midge in your tomato garden, then prepare the above products and treat them with plants every few days until the pest disappears completely. Do not forget that the described preparations can destroy not only the pest, but also beneficial insects, therefore it is better to do the processing in the evening, when the insects that pollinate your plants have already completed their work.