Of course, the primary task of each gardener is to get a rich harvest in his own personal plot.
Unfortunately, on the way to this there are always insects and pests, which with great desire destroy vegetable crops, reducing the work of the summer resident to zero. Special trouble in this regard delivers cabbage fly.
Often, owners of suburban real estate involved in the cultivation of vegetables, after some time, notice that the white-skinned wine begins to fade. Many explain this as a banal moisture deficit, so they immediately get watering hoses and irrigate the cabbage to the maximum, confidently hoping that in a day or two the plant will come to life. However, time passes, but the beds with the white tea leaves continue to be in the same, and sometimes even worse condition, and then the gardeners begin to wonder what is the matter, and some even experience a slight panic.
And all is explained not by a lack of moisture. Damage to the crop caused cabbage fly. This is a very dangerous pest for white-headed.
What is this insect
It should be noted that the adult individual of the insect in question does not cause damage to the cabbage. Another thing is the larvae of the cabbage fly. They destroy the white-headed one. However, not everything is as bad as it might seem at first glance. Of course, with the help of a fly swatter or ordinary Velcro, cabbage can not be saved, but there are still ways to combat the above pest, and this is not only about chemicals.
It should be emphasized that two types of insect cause damage to the crop: spring cabbage fly and summer. Moreover, there is no special difference between them, except that the first is a “descendant” of the second.
Novice gardeners should be aware that both variations of this insect can do great harm to cabbage beds. Do not forget that summer flies do not fly away for the winter, staying in the gardens until spring, and with her arrival they begin to give offspring, which then grows into spring "specimens."
Pest Features
In fairness, it must be said that visually the cabbage fly is not much different from the usual one. Nevertheless, it has slightly smaller dimensions and a lighter color than the last.
When the larvae appear
The beginning of the phase of emergence of larvae of spring flies is the lilac flowering period, when the soil at a depth of 8 centimeters warms up to about +10 degrees Celsius. And this moment is a certain starting point for all the troubles that this insect is capable of causing. Why? Everything is very simple. The female spring cabbage fly is ready for reproductive function - it lays up to 150 eggs. And she does this on the root neck of the vegetable or in the immediate vicinity of it under the lumps of the upper soil layer.
After a week and a half, larvae hatch from the eggs, which cause irreparable damage to the crop.
Why is cabbage fly dangerous?
Young individuals require constant nutrition, and this task is realized due to the white-root system. And often not only she suffers, but also the leaves of plants. As a result of the destruction of the rhizome, through which cabbage receives nutrients, the whole vegetable dies over time.
The average damage period is 3 to 4 weeks. This term is sufficient for the larva to turn into a chrysalis. This process proceeds in the immediate vicinity of the white-headed, which was the food for the larva. 21 days after the final formation of the pupa, the second generation of the above insect is born. Moreover, when creating favorable conditions, the third and even fourth generation of cabbage flies may appear. The only consolation in this case will be the fact that the damage caused by individuals of the last generations will not be so significant as that of the "grandparents".
To minimize damage, experts recommend regular crop rotation of vegetables.
Pest control methods
Since the cabbage fly is the worst enemy of the white-headed one, the question of how to get rid of this pest remains very urgent for many.
Chemicals
One of the common methods of controlling insects, of course, is the treatment of plants with pesticides. Currently, there is a whole arsenal of drugs that effectively destroy the cabbage fly. You just have to go to the market or to a specialized store and purchase it. Next, read how to use the product on the label and proceed. You can use drugs such as Karbofos or Bazudin. If you are not a supporter of the use of chemistry, then the cabbage fly, the control measures of which are effective almost everything, is easily destroyed with the help of natural components.
Preventive measures
Those who are seriously worried about the problem of how to deal with the cabbage fly should remember: prevention is the best weapon. First of all, as already emphasized, do not forget about the rotation of vegetables.
Dispose of the stalks of the plant outside your area without fail after cutting the forks. Thus, you will significantly reduce the risk of the emergence of spring cabbage fly next year. Do not forget to systematically plow the land area where you have grown cabbage. This will destroy most of the larvae that have already pupated.
Of course, a formidable opponent is the cabbage fly. Methods of controlling this insect, of course, are not limited to one prevention. What else can be done?
Alternative control measures
Some experts recommend taking soil from the plant before the hilling procedure. To do this, remove the top layer of the earth, located in a radius of 10-15 centimeters from the plant, and bring soil to this place from another place located within the boundaries of your garden (for example, from the territory where last year you planted onions or carrots).
So, we found out that cabbage fly is still vulnerable. Control measures against this insect can be successfully combined and combined.
A certain part of specialists in the fight against insects advises to cover paper with each fork of cabbage. First you have to prepare circles from paper, the diameter of which is 15 centimeters. In their middle, you need to cut a hole for the stalk of cabbage, after which we make a cut along the radius of the circle to its center. At the next stage, the workpiece should be planted on the stem and laid on the soil. Thus, you will make every effort to ensure that the offspring of the cabbage fly is not on the stem of the seedlings or soil near it, but on a paper structure. Naturally, the eggs on the circles will soon die, never turning into larvae.
Another part of the experienced gardeners effectively destroys the pest by treating the plant with mothballs or tobacco dust. Some use color traps treated with special glue.