Cherry fly is one of the worst fruit tree pests. Such an insect lays eggs in the berries of cherries and cherries. When larvae emerge from the eggs, they are taken for eating the pulp. As a result, pits and specks form on the fruits, as a result of which the fruits crumble and rot.
What does a pest look like?
It is not very difficult to distinguish a cherry fly from a regular one, since it is a tiny insect of about 3-5 mm in size, which has a body of dark brown color and 4 black transverse lines on transparent wings. The head, paws and flap of the fly are dark yellow, and the eyes are green.
Time for flies activity
Such an individual flies between May and June. In southern places - about a decade earlier. The insect begins to fly away, when the earth has already warmed up in abundance, and the air temperature is above +18 degrees. Most flies are active in sunny and hot weather.
After 1-2 weeks, the cherry fly after departure is taken for laying eggs in ripening and green berries (1 egg per fruit). After 7-10 days, light worm-shaped larvae emerge from the eggs. For 15-20 days, they eat the pulp of berries, managing to molt over 2 times during this period of time, then leave the fruits and pupate in the soil at a depth of 2-5 cm. During the numerous formation of the pest, the fruits of the cherry deteriorate by 30%, and the cherries - by 50-60%.
Insect development
The exit phase of the cherry fly larva from the pseudococcus occurs in the spring. Her color is orange-gray, and she practically does not move. After 4-5 hours after birth, the pest acquires a natural color, dries, opens its wings and takes off on the foliage. In the southern conditions of European countries, insect flight lasts from May to July. At first males appear, and after 4-5 days - already females. Flies receive special nutrition from juices of ripened berries and wound secretions of leaves, which lasts 12-14 days.
Copulation time
It falls on warm weather conditions, where the temperature is not less than +18 degrees, if lower than +15, then cherry pests become less mobile, do not mate, and also do not lay eggs. If the weather is warm, but cloudy, the insects are also inactive and try to hide on the surface of the earth or at the bottom of the leaf plate.
Egg laying procedure
The female lays her eggs in the ripe fruits of the feed crop. The process itself lasts 4-5 minutes. She studies the berry, then lays eggs in it and with uniform movements introduces them into the depths. As soon as the ovipositor is opened, the female subsides and, collecting the belly, displaces the egg. On unripe fruits, the place of oviposition is slightly noticeable, and it looks like a dot. The female herself lives for about a month and lays up to 150 eggs.
Completion of fly development
Pupa is detected inside the false cocoon after 5-6 days after the larva deepens into the ground. In this arrangement, the pest hibernates. The predominant mass of false-cocoons is located within the boundaries of the crown projection. Pupa formation occurs in the soil with increasing temperature (up to +10 degrees) and at a depth of 5 cm.
Cherry fly: control measures
There are many ways to protect your garden from dangerous pests such as flies.
It is better to plant early varieties of cherries and cherries. Berries of such varieties deteriorate less, because by the time of their collection the insects still do not have time to start laying eggs. Middle and late cherries are much more damaged.
In all seasons, with the exception of winter, it is necessary to properly loosen the earth in the tree-trunk circumference under the cherry and cherry crops. This simple method can significantly reduce the number of pests.
How to deal with a cherry fly? What other methods are there? If the infection with such insects in the garden is large, then you will have to use insecticides for spraying. At least 2 treatments should be done. The first spraying is carried out at the beginning of the numerous departure of cherry flies, when the soil is already sufficiently warmed up, and the air temperature will be above +18 degrees.
You can find out the mass pest outbreak by flowering acacia. At this point, it is important to spray the ground, where insects come from. There is an option for using yellow glue bait that can be hung on trees. They are also easy to make yourself: stick light yellow paper on cardboard and apply ALT glue on top of the yellow tone (it is used against mice, as well as in hunting belts). If there are more than 20 individuals trapped, this will mean that a large pest outbreak has already begun, and the fight against the cherry fly is urgently needed.
Secondary spraying is required after 10-15 days, but no later than 14 days before harvesting. For processing a cherry tree, you can use any insecticide that can cope with flying insects, such as "Karate", "Spark", "Aktara", "Lightning" and others. When re-practicing, it is necessary to change the means so that the flies do not get used to them. Also, do not forget to thoroughly wash the berries before using them for food, regardless of the processing.
At the stage of spraying the foliage of the plants, the soil around them should also be treated, because there is also a cherry fly.
If the struggle with the use of chemistry is not suitable, then you can use folk remedies. As soon as the heat comes, the cherries will bloom, you will need to take a sweet liquid of your choice (honey water, kvass, beer or compote), pour it into jars or cut plastic bottles and hang them on trees. For one plant, 4-5 jars will be enough. It is only better to hang them correctly throughout the crown of cherry blossoms. The mixture in the vessels begins to ferment, and all pests flock to this smell. You will need to observe the containers, add fresh fluid, as well as remove the caught insects.
It is necessary to try to carry out, as far as possible, a complete and quick collection of fruits of cherries or cherries. If the process is carried out in several stages, the cherry fly will be able to spoil all the other uninfected fruits. When harvesting, even single berries should not be stored on plants. The larvae of such a pest are also capable of arising in them.
After the full harvest, you need to remove the whole scavenger under the crops, eliminate it from the site or bury it half a meter in depth. This method can eliminate the penetration of new larvae into the ground and pupation there.
It will also be necessary to neutralize the cherry aphids, because it is precisely with its sweet secretions that the pests of the cherry feed. In parallel with aphids, it will be necessary to fight garden ants. They also use its excretion and settle in on the young branches of plants. Under trees, you can plant something that repels flies, such as marigolds or marigolds. It would also be nice to spray cherries with tobacco leaves, wormwood broth or laundry soap diluted in water (it is added so that the liquid sticks to the leaves better).
In early spring or late autumn, a deep digging of the soil of the trunks of crops should be made up to 20-25 cm. So the cherry fly on the cherry or cherry will not be able to winter and create pupae.