How to get rid of caterpillars on a bow. Pest control of onions with folk remedies

Onions are popular not only among gardeners, summer residents, farmers, but also among a large horde of pests who are not at all averse to feasting on this vegetable.

We will try to acquaint you with the main pests of onion, methods of dealing with them, treatment and photos of signs of damage caused by them.

Symptoms

It happens that when harvesting the grown crop, soft bulbs come across. This is a symptom of root mite infestation, which affects many bulbous plants, including onions and garlic.

The mite lives in organic-rich soil, loves rotting debris and last year's leaves. Survives well in any conditions, loves moist places. He and the onion mite larvae infect the roots of the bulbs and penetrate through the bottom. The bulb becomes sick, becomes soft and eventually becomes covered with unsightly, loose, dark-colored dust. If, when storing onions, you notice such a bulb, you must immediately sort out the entire crop and warm it up, dry the surviving onion at a temperature of about 40 ° C.

Treatment and prevention

To avoid such phenomena, you need to follow simple rules:

Observe crop rotation, a condition important for all crops. Experienced gardeners never neglect this rule. The best predecessors for onions are: radishes, cabbage, tomatoes.
Inspection of onions before planting.
Disinfection of planting material in a solution of colloidal sulfur.

It is easy to prepare the solution: add 80 g of sulfur to 10 liters of water at 37–40 ° C, stir and add onion sets to the solution for 20 minutes. And drop him off immediately.

During the growth of onions, for prevention, water with a decoction of chamomile.

Advice! To make a decoction of chamomile, you can simply pour boiling water over it in the proportion of 200 g of dry grass per 10 liters of water. Let it brew for 12 hours and water the planting. Chamomile grows in large quantities in the fields, collect and dry, it repels many pests and is safe for humans and bees.

After harvesting and drying the onions, it is recommended to trim the dried leaves.
To keep the onion better, it is heated (fried) for 24 hours at a temperature of 35 ° C.
Chalk helps with storage. If you pour the bulbs on them during storage, the root mite dies, it is afraid of dryness.

Conclusion! When storing onions, you need an absolutely dry room.

Onion hoverfly

Symptoms

The hoverfly is very similar to the onion fly, only it is slightly darker and larger in size. The hoverfly begins to fly a little later than the onion fly, somewhere in late June, early July, laying eggs between dry scales of onions near the ground, 6–10 at a time. Can lay eggs directly in the ground next to the onion head. During the season, two generations of this pest appear. Usually, they select already affected and diseased bulbs.

The larvae actively develop inside, which is why the bulbs rot very quickly, the feather withers and turns yellow, and the bulb dies.

Treatment and prevention

Prevention is the main weapon in horticulture.

Pickle the onion sets in a solution of potassium permanganate from diseases and viruses, the onion will be strong and healthy.
Observe the crop rotation by all means!
Autumn cleaning of beds from debris, the remnants of any root crops.
Plant carrots next to the onions, which are good at repelling flies.
Loosening the soil near the plantings, which will prevent the development of larvae from the laid eggs.
Sprinkle onion plantings with dry ash, tobacco, hot pepper or mothballs once a week.
The harvested onion should be properly dried before storage.

Advice! The ideal weather for drying onions is dry, sunny and windy. Spread the onion in the air in a thin layer and stir it constantly so that the onions dry evenly from all sides.

You can't leave him overnight! Remove under the canopy until evening. Repeat drying for a week.

After harvesting the onion, if diseased and damaged plants were noticed, shed copper sulfate in the soil.

If you cannot do without chemicals, then it is permissible to use the drug "basudin", but do not forget that it is poison! It is better not to use a feather from such a bed later.

Onion fly

Symptoms

If you suddenly notice yellowed tips of feathers, drooping arrows or twisting them while planting onions, it means that the onion fly has settled in the beds - the most common pest.

The onion fly is similar to an ordinary fly, only it is gray and 1 cm long. When the lilac blooms, the fly begins to actively fly and look for a place to lay eggs. The best place for this is dry onion scales at the very base. The larvae bite into the bulbs and for three weeks "gobble up" with juicy pulp, eating up extensive passages.

The leaves of the plant wilt, turn yellow and then dry out completely, and the bulb gives off an unpleasant odor. The larvae go to the ground, where by July they turn into flies, fly out and damage all crops with renewed vigor. In the southern regions, where onions are grown in large quantities, three generations of flies grow per season.

Treatment and prevention

If you have already been infected with a fly onion, then, most likely, the soil is already infected with pupae of this pest. Therefore, digging up the soil in early spring will give a good result: the pupae will fall into the cold air and most of them will disappear.

What other means are there?

A good proven preparation "Zemlin", which fights many soil pests. It is simply scattered over the soil surface. It has long been known that the onion fly avoids laying eggs in carrot plantings, so this fact should be used.

Advice! Plant two crops close to each other, at an optimal distance, remembering that when carrots grow, they become spreading. Good experience: line method, alternating onions and carrots.

When planting, you can reduce the likelihood of a fly laying eggs in the onion scales by deepening the sevok during planting by 3 cm, hiding the neck in the ground.

Folk methods of struggle:

From the moment the feather grows 3-5 cm, watering with saline is used: 200 g of salt per 10 liters of water, watering once every 10 days.
Ammonium solution: 3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water.

Water so that the solutions do not fall on the leaves! If you find damaged bulbs, remove them mercilessly!

Onion moth

Symptoms

The onion moth is ubiquitous and loves warm, dry weather. It is at this time that its activity increases. The moth larvae are about 11 mm long, very voracious, they eat the feather from the inside, leaving the outside untouched.

The leaves begin to turn yellow quickly from the end, and then dry out completely. You can see the damaged feather immediately: it will have longitudinal uneven light stripes.

The moth starts flying quite early, in April and May, at night, laying 50–75 eggs each! And after a week, caterpillars appear, which live for about two weeks, then turning into pupae directly on the leaves of onions or on weeds. Within two or three weeks, a new generation appears. The horror is that during the season three generations are formed in the middle lane!

Treatment and prevention

Treatment and prevention consists in proper care for the beds, and then for the plantings.

Obligatory deep digging of the earth in autumn and early spring.
Cleaning of all residues from the beds, burning of diseased and damaged plants by pests.
Crop rotation helps eliminate many problems with pests and diseases, and this gives a significant increase in yield.

Advice! Crop rotation is a whole science. Once you figure it out, then it will be easy to understand what to plant behind the previous crop. Garlic will feel great after potatoes, cucumbers, squash, squash, pumpkin, peas, or beans. The soil can improve its health after sowing siderates, which include: oats, barley, rye, vetch, mustard, amaranth, buckwheat and beans.

Control weeds throughout the season.
Preventive watering with folk remedies for pests. A solution of ammonia has proven itself well: 3 tbsp. spoons per 10 liters of water, as well as infusions of herbs such as tansy, wormwood, red pepper and tomato tops.
If you find more than two caterpillars on one lane, then urgently apply some kind of insecticide. But after such processing, do not eat the feather!

Onion weevil

The onion weevil or lurker is the enemy of all bulbous plants. He also did not bypass onions, which belong to the onion family.

Symptoms

The weevil can eat the whole plant, but more often it dispenses with the green part, so it can be found on the surface. And if you saw this pest, then immediately start fighting it.

The beetle lays eggs imperceptible to the eye, from which larvae appear, eating the green mass so that you can be left without a feather. And if there is no feather, the bulb will not ripen, it will be poorly stored.

In addition, the larvae eat the flower stalks, preventing the seeds from forming. During the season, the beetle breeds two offspring. Leaves damaged by larvae become striped, turn yellow and die off.

The beetle lives in the upper layers of the soil, rises outside in the spring. Maybe you watched how chickens were released into the garden on farms in early spring? This is the best way to control pests: chickens eat both beetles and larvae in the ground.

Advice! In winter, feed the birds in your area: sparrows, titmouses, and in the spring they will help you with pests.

Treatment and prevention

Crop rotation. Compliance with it will save you most of the problems. Diseases and pests of onions can disappear or be reduced several times.
Preparation of the land: digging to a depth of at least 20-25 cm in autumn and early spring, so that the larvae and beetles living in it die from frost.
Traps are set for the beetle. Affordable, but time consuming: cut the packing cardboard into strips, wrap the strip around each plant, secure it so it does not straighten.
Frequent loosening of the soil around the plants, this action destroys the "pupae".
Treat with dry ash and tobacco.
If there is an urgent need, treat with "karbofos" or "azadirachtin" once.

Important! After treatment with poisons, in no case should you use a feather!

Thrips

Thrips include several species of insects of the smallest size. These pests reproduce very quickly: they give several generations in open ground and in greenhouses - up to eight generations, laying more than a hundred eggs per season.

Symptoms

These small invaders feed on plant sap, causing suffering to young shoots. As a result, plants stagnate, deform and stop developing.

Onion and tobacco thrips, which are difficult to remove, are dangerous for onions.

Bulbs affected by thrips look wrinkled under the scales, and from above they acquire a dark brown color with a silvery sheen.

Treatment and prevention

It is believed that thrips can be dealt with by observing preventive measures.

Advice! Celandine in summer can be found in large numbers. Collect the aboveground part, fill half of the container with the chopped plant, fill it with water, let it brew for two days and spray the plants, repeating every 5 days or after rain.

Frequent spraying is a double benefit as thrips do not like moisture. They can even be knocked down with a stream of water. Keep the beds clean, destroying all weeds.

Stem nematode

Stem onion nematode is the most dangerous enemy. She is amazingly tenacious. These small worms are able to hide in the ground at a depth of 1.5 meters, then to crawl out to objects of attack, they are not afraid of frosts, they can live at a constant temperature of + 2 ° C in a vegetable store, continuing to infect the bulbs. Without food, nematodes withstand 18 months or fall into suspended animation, and can survive for up to 20 years, and then continue their activity. The female is able to lay 400 eggs in her life of 30–40 days.

Symptoms

In affected plants, at the beginning of the growing season, the first leaf appears - the feather is slightly thickened and crooked. In the future, the leaves sag and turn yellow. Inside the bulb, the scales soften and rot. The bulb is soft to the touch.

Advice! Such bulbs are not suitable for consumption and storage! Even if you decide to cut off the darkened scales and use the white ones in cooking, do not do it!

One such bulb can contain up to several thousand individuals of the worm! They can be seen only through a strong magnifying glass, if the onion is cut into 3 mm pieces and filled with water so that the level is no more than 5 mm per hour, examining the water.

Treatment and prevention

Until now, there is no such remedy that would destroy the stem nematode. Yes, and all the means are poisonous, but you need to process it repeatedly. Therefore, it all comes down to prevention.

Healthy planting material is very important in the fight against this infection!

Proper storage of onions and onion sets.
Crop rotation. Not earlier than four years old, plant onions and garlic in the same place.
Before planting in the ground, add urea or spill with ammonia (3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water).
Landing time also plays an important role. Planting or sowing onion seeds should be as early as possible to keep the temperature low.
To cultivate the land. Add sand and peat under the planting so that the earth becomes as light as possible, which the worm does not like. And it is good to add dolomite flour or lime for digging, deoxidizing the soil.
Process planting material. Onion sets should be carefully sorted out, dry scales should be cut off with scissors, and loose shirts should be peeled off.

Advice! You can deacidify the soil with soda. To do this, dissolve 10 g of soda in a bucket of water and spill the beds, or pour 100 ml into each well.

How to treat pests before planting onions?

Take a container with hot water 45–47 ° C, pour the whole set into it. While it warms up, and this temperature is harmful to many pests, dilute 1 tablespoon of birch tar in 1 liter of water. Pour warm water for this too. Pour the sevoks with this mixture. Leave on for 4 hours.

This wonderful remedy with a vigorous smell will scare away many pests, plus the prevention of fungal diseases. After such a bath, the onions are ready for planting!

Aphid

Many will be surprised that we list aphids as a pest of onions, because onion peels are often used from pests. But the fact is that there is an onion aphid. It affects onions grown on feathers in greenhouses.

Aphids love warm weather, with its onset, they settle on plants in large colonies, drinking juices from them. Aphids breed 50 times per season!

Symptoms

Aphids not only drink juices, but also release a specific poison, infect plants with viruses, staining and spoiling the decorative look with their vital activity.

Leaves curl and bend, young shoots are sprinkled with small pests ranging from gray to green.

Treatment and prevention

It is difficult to fight aphids, but it is possible.

Weed control.
Aphids are afraid of garlic, white mustard, marigolds, which can be planted nearby.
Powder with dry ash.
Watering with infusion of fermented grass. For this, different herbs are insisted for a week, then filtered and watered.
Spray Coca-Cola plants. Aphids do not like her and are killed by the acid contained in the drink.

All these methods allow you not to harm the greens in order to eat them, but they are precisely preventive.

Important! Do not use poisons! If necessary, use the preparation "Verticillin", which is safe for feathers, made on the basis of fungi that, when sprayed, get on the aphids, germinate in them, and the aphids die. They are treated with this drug once a week.

We examined the main pests of onion. Now that you've got advice on how to protect a vital vegetable like onions, you should be delighted with their harvests.

Video: Onion fly, an easy way to fight

Onions are an unpretentious crop, the cultivation of which does not require special care from gardeners. But even onions are affected by all kinds of diseases and pests. If you ignore this problem, such indifference can cost you your harvest and wasted labor.

Pests that infect onions

Onions are always the first greens, a harbinger of spring. People are used to using it as a protection against germs. Also, many housewives often use it as an insect repellent for different crops. But as it turned out, the bow itself also needs protection.

Onion fly

When spring is in full swing, the onion fly goes hunting. She lays her eggs on onion plantings, from which larvae appear after a few days. They are also called white worms. They are exactly the main threat to the plant.

It is impossible to notice the pests, since they are located underground. But their activity becomes noticeable when the onion feathers begin to turn yellow and then dry up. The larvae infect the bulb itself.

There are several folk remedies that can help you get rid of onion flies:

To prevent the appearance of onion flies in advance, purchase from a specialized store tobacco dust powder... It is mixed with sand and lined with beds.

The photo above shows an adult onion fly.

Another pest is onion thrips. The female places her larvae inside the featherwhere they are born and feed on sap. In one season, a female can make about a hundred such clutches. The first sign of this pest is a yellowing of the feather from the crown. It is recommended to prevent the appearance of this insect, since the fight against it is not very easy.

To prevent thrips from appearing on your beds, it is recommended to dig up the beds for the winter, alternate planting crops on this soil, process the bulbs before planting... Also, before planting onions, the beds can be planted with flowers, the smell of which repels insects. These include marigolds or calendula. There are also special decoctions for spraying:

400 grams of celandine herb is poured with one liter of water and insisted for three days. Then the strained infusion is sprayed on the onion beds;
1 tablespoon of chopped onion or garlic is poured with 1 glass of water. This solution is also sprayed on onions.

If you were unable to prevent the occurrence of thrips, only chemicals will helpthat will help to carry out disinfection, they can be bought in specialized stores. But greens processed with such means cannot be eaten.

Another pest that locates its larvae inside the feather. The female eats out a special hole where she lays her eggs, and the larva that appears eats the feather from the inside. It is impossible to notice this damage from the outside.

In this case it is better to prevent the weevil from appearing on your bow. To do this, it is necessary to remove all waste from last year's harvest, and in the spring, the beds should be disinfected before planting a new batch of onions.

Also, the onion beds are sprinkled with tobacco dust or ash. It is best to do this when the feathers are wet so that more material will stick to them. And between the rows, the ground is sprinkled with ground black or red pepper, as well as dried tansy or celandine. The photo shows a female weevil.

In the store, you can purchase special processing products. But in this case, the processed feathers should not be eaten.

An adult is not as scary as its larva. She, like many other pests, hits the onion feather from the insidewhich causes it to dry out. As in previous cases, it is better to think about preventing moths beforehand than trying to get rid of them.

You should not plant onions in the same place. The earth should rest for 3-4 years. All tops from the previous season must be destroyed immediately. It is necessary to do regular weeding and loosening of the soil.

Carrots are a very beneficial neighbor for onions. It releases substances into the soil that scare away pestsattacking the bow. Also insects are repelled by tobacco dust and. But a one-time treatment won't get you out of trouble. It is necessary to spray and water onions with these substances every ten days.

You can put peculiar butterfly traps... They will be kvass or fermented compote. At night, winged insects will surely come to smell, and in the morning you should destroy the invited guests.

Near the beds, you can sow calendula or marigolds. Their scent repels many insects.

Diseases of onion

Insects are not the only enemy of your crop. Onions are also affected by some diseases that can overtake it during growth and storage.

This disease appears due to damage caused by pests. This is the kind of fungus that affects the root system and leads to its complete withering away. After which the whole plant dies. If, while harvesting, you do not notice the disease, the bulb will rot in storage and transmit its disease to other bulbs.

To prevent disease, prevention of the appearance of onion flies should be carried out, regularly loosen the soil in the beds and water the plant with ash infusion.

This is another type of fungus. He easily endures winter on bulbs during storage and even on the beds themselves... When infected seeds are planted, the disease will not only remain on the bulb, it will also affect the feathers.

The stems lose their color, wither and after a while completely die off. Such a bulb does not have time to ripen, due to which the yield decreases. As in many other cases, it is recommended to carry out the standard procedure for the prevention of all onion diseases.

Gray rot

This disease is also called black onion mold. It is a disease that affects the transition from bulb to stem. If you pick onions in damp weather, you can transfer the disease to the onion itself. This occurs when pruning a wet stem.

Onions with black mold will not be stored for a long time. The rot will quickly attack the entire bulb, and then move to nearby ones. In a short period, it can hit all harvested crop.

The fight against rot looks like this:

The photo shows the gradual defeat of the bulb with gray rot.

Bacterial rot

Among the most common onion diseases are wet bacterial rot, which can appear during growth. Outwardly, she does not give herself away in any way and only detected when the onion is cut... Wet translucent layers appear between the scales. They are not arranged in a row, but through a healthy scale. If the affected bulb is stored for a long time, then it rots completely. You can notice it by its specific smell.

Why does bacterial rot appear:

a large difference between the air temperature during the day and at night;
pests that have started on the plant;
damage to the bulbs during digging and transportation.

How to fight:

choose only the highest quality seeds for planting;
to carry out pest prevention;
correctly transport seeds and harvested crops;
store the crop at the optimum temperature.

The main fight against diseases and pests is to prevent their occurrence.

Onion diseases and the fight against them

Onions are one of the most important ingredients in cooking. This vegetable is grown in almost every country in the world. But due to a number of obstacles, full harvesting is not ensured almost anywhere. Depletion of the soil, changing climatic conditions, excessive use of chemicals, disease prevent this. But the largest percentage of losses is provoked by onion pests, and control of them is critical to obtaining a quality harvest.

In order to start the fight against bow destroyers, you need to learn how to correctly recognize them. In addition to the appearance of the insect, it is necessary to pay attention to the nature of the plant lesions.

Onion fly: how to recognize and neutralize?

Every gardener knows that the most dangerous pest for onions is a fly from the hoverfly family. Due to the fact that the insect is very fond of juicy onion fibers, it was called onion. You can identify the pest at the stage of inception. To do this, it is enough to inspect the green arrows of the onion. Particular attention should be paid to the area located about 2-3 centimeters above the soil.

If white, elongated eggs are seen, about 1.5 mm long, the affected stalk must be removed. This procedure should be done in late May - early June, otherwise after 2-3 days the eggs will turn into creamy-white larvae, about 8 mm long. It is much more difficult to eliminate the larvae, because almost immediately after rebirth, they try to burrow into the soil and penetrate directly into the head of the bulb.

At this stage, the upper stems of the plant look absolutely healthy, so it will not be possible to deal with the pest locally. Further, throughout the summer and the warm part of autumn, the larvae will turn into pupae. It is the larvae that cause the maximum damage, actively feeding on onion pulp.

Flies will appear from some cocoons, which will climb to the surface in 3-4 weeks, and some pupae will remain hibernating in the soil, and will be reborn into flies only at the end of next May. If, during the fall harvest, the soil is not properly cultivated, the cycle will repeat again.

Signs of damage to plants by onion fly:

if the bulbs are affected by larvae, then the stems first become sluggish, and then die off altogether;
if already infected bulbs have been planted, the new shoots will initially appear yellowish. And the harvest dug up in the fall will be rotten.

Features of plant damage by onion thrips

Thrips are very small insect pests of onions that are carriers of diseases of many plants. Thrips can be found on cabbage, potatoes, tobacco, cotton, zucchini. Insects can be identified by the following features:

thrips eggs are white-yellow, bean-shaped and do not grow more than 0.5 mm;
the larvae look like small flies of a pale yellow color, but without wings;
pupae are very similar to larvae, but their color changes to dark brown;
adults look like brown, narrow (up to 1 mm) flies. Moreover, males are wingless, and females have long, narrow, fringed wings.

The life cycle of thrips lasts from 20 to 30 days, depending on the temperature outside. Egg incubation period: 4-5 days; lifespan of larvae: 5-7 days; the developmental period of the pupa is 8-10 days, and the life of an adult fly lasts 5-8 days.

Thrips feed by piercing the surface of the plant and sucking out the secreted juices. Pests cause direct damage to both stems and bulbs, and can also provoke the development of various diseases in the plant. Damaged bulbs seem to become infected with ulcers, lose color, and the stems dry out. In this case, the green onion arrows are covered with silvery spots. Thrips and leeks are affected. Despite the fact that the plant does not have a pronounced bulb, the pests happily feed on the white part of the root.

Fighting onion flies and thrips

The methods of dealing with the above two pests are identical and rather laborious. Firstly, after harvesting, it is necessary to dig up and sift the ground, since the larvae of pests easily tolerate even the coldest winters. Of course, it is almost impossible to completely get rid of millimeter larvae using this method. Therefore, in the next sowing season, it is recommended to plant corn, carrots, or odorous herbs instead of onions. The aromas of these plants are detrimental to flies and thrips.

Protection of onions from pests and diseases is impossible without the use of professional products. Treatment of onion roots before planting in the ground with a mixture of 0.1% carbendazim and 0.025% carbosulfan solution will give immunity from infection by pest larvae for 30-40 days. Also, after planting (but not earlier than 30 days), an insecticidal spray must be applied.

Experienced gardeners recommend the use of alpha-cypermethrin preparations. You can check the effectiveness of the above methods as follows: place ordinary sticky traps of a bright (preferably green) color on the beds. As soon as the strips remain empty for at least several days, the treatment with chemicals can be stopped.

How to get rid of pests without chemicals?

Those who adamantly refuse to work with chemicals can try neem seed oil. It is a powerful natural insecticide that can disrupt the life cycle of insects at all stages. The oil is biodegradable and non-toxic to pets, birds, people. It is also a natural fungicide that fights mold and fungal infections.

You can buy the drug at many garden or organic stores. In order to use neem oil as an insecticide, you must mix 2 teaspoons of oil, 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap with 1 liter of water. Pour the resulting solution into a bottle and spray on the green arrows. It is necessary to process onions every day for a week, then take a break. If new larvae appear on the stems, water the plants again.

Garlic is another natural insecticide. Its strong smell is unpleasant not only for people, but also for garden pests. In fact, the garlic spray will not kill the pests, but it will quite successfully prevent them from further reproduction.

In order to prepare a natural insecticidal solution, you need to take two heads of garlic, grind them in a food processor with a little water. Insist the resulting mixture overnight, and then mix with 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap and a liter of water. Spray the resulting solution onto the infected onion. Chili pepper spray has a similar effect.

Attention! Chili solution also affects people, so be sure to wear gloves on your hands and a face shield.

Root bulb mite

The root bulb mite, despite its name, attacks garlic more often than onions. Ticks are translucent, cigar-shaped, microscopic in size (adults do not grow more than 1 mm in length), and are almost invisible to the naked eye. The eggs are attached with a thin adhesive tape to the stem of the plant, and after ripening they move into the soil.

Signs of damage to onions by microscopic mites are not too obvious. Pests grind off the roots and pulp of the bulbs very slowly. This leads to stunted plant growth, twisting and discoloration of the stems. But small yellow specks appear mainly at the very edge of the arrows, which means that not every gardener will be able to notice such an important sign in time. Mites can damage already dug healthy bulbs.

To prevent the occurrence of onion mites, it is necessary to avoid sequential planting of onions and garlic on the same bed for several years. Before the start of the summer season, it is necessary to treat the soil with a solution of sulfur (0.3%) and dimethoate (0.03%) or dicofol (0.05%) in an amount of 2 ml. for 1 liter of water. It is recommended to use drugs based on clofentezin as a post-sowing soil prophylaxis.

Gnawing (cotton) scoop

The gnawing scoop is dangerous only in the form of a caterpillar. The adult scoop looks like a large, light brown moth. When the wings are folded, a V-shaped speck forms on the back. The butterfly lays single creamy white eggs. From them, larvae appear, which are reborn into brown or greenish caterpillars. It is at this stage of life that the gnawing scoop gives gardeners the most problems.

The larvae are usually located inside the stem, but subsequently (during the transition to the next stage of life), they begin to move closer to the soil. The caterpillar buries itself in the soil and begins to gnaw the white flesh of the onion. As a result, the green stalks completely dry out, and the vegetable itself becomes unfit for human consumption. To get rid of the gnawing scoop, you can use the same insecticides that are used against thrips.

Thorough cultivation of the topsoil is also recommended. Regular loosening of chernozem creates unfavorable conditions for laying and normal development of eggs. If only root crops are planted in the summer cottage, then you can hang several feeders on the surrounding trees. This is the most natural and inexpensive pest control method. The scoop caterpillars are the best treat for birds.

Why is the onion nematode dangerous?

The onion nematode is dangerous because it can literally reproduce continuously. Translucent white eggs mature within three days, after which the cycle repeats again. An adult nematode looks like a whitish oval worm, 2 mm long. Since the life cycle of this pest does not exceed a year, the larvae and adults often develop in the same bulb. Ultimately, the dug vegetable ends up hollow inside.

And if the infected bulb gets to the warehouse for a clean harvest, then in a few weeks most of the vegetables will begin to rot. Although the nematode is not considered too dangerous, care must be taken to ensure that the pest does not infect any vegetable. Otherwise, the pulp of all the bulbs will very quickly turn into rot. Sometimes the contamination of vegetables can be triggered by mechanical damage or improper storage.

The simplest and most natural method to prevent the spread of nematodes is to plant marigolds. Pests cannot stand the smell of these flowers. It is advisable to plant marigolds over several seasons as the effect is cumulative. If the worms have already infected the vegetables, then it is recommended to process the crop with preparations based on chitosan.

In addition, before planting onions, you can fill the soil with chemicals (but this method will kill not only pests, but also useful land fauna). If you don't want to use chemicals, you can add compost, manure, or any other natural fertilizers to the ground. Organic matter is unlikely to kill pests, but it will increase the soil's ability to retain moisture and nutrients. This means that the onions will receive additional sources for fast and healthy growth.

Nematode activity slows down when soil temperature drops. This means that late onion varieties are much less susceptible to pests.
Before planting the bulbs, you must carefully examine all the roots. If a whitish bloom is noticed, then such a plant must be thrown away, and not tried to clean or treat with a solution.
Sometimes nematodes infect the soil so deep that the only solution is to completely replace the topsoil. This is a rather expensive option, which will give a guarantee of getting rid of pests for 1-2 years.

Before starting pest control, it is necessary to assess the extent of the lesions. If there is a whole plantation planted with onions, then it is worth using chemicals. But if there are only a couple of bulbs growing in the garden for homemade salad, you need to try natural remedies.

Not a single vegetable garden can be imagined without onions. This healthy vegetable is included in the recipe of many dishes, and is also an excellent drug that has no contraindications and side effects. With good care, onions are capable of giving an excellent harvest, because they are resistant to adverse weather conditions and are not too picky about the soil.

The only thing that can prevent a summer resident from growing high-quality and healthy onions is diseases and pests. The latter, according to experts, pose a greater threat than infections, because it is they who can not only spoil the largest bulbs with unsightly wormholes, but also provoke allergic reactions in humans to their metabolic products. In addition, even minor damage to the bulb contributes to the ingress of various pathogenic microorganisms inside it, which can go unnoticed for a long time, and then unexpectedly destroy the entire crop.

Signs of pests on onion plantings

Whatever the onion pests are (flying or moving exclusively under the soil surface), traces of their activity can be seen quite easily. First, the feather will signal their appearance by yellowing and / or wilting. Secondly, plants damaged by various insects begin to lag noticeably in growth. Thirdly, the above-ground part of the culture is deformed, swollen, or bent. Gardeners often do not pay attention to such metamorphoses, and onion pests, photos of which will be shown later, continue their destructive march through the beds. If you do not take the necessary measures, the harvest of a useful vegetable will be completely lost. So, it's time to get to know these insects better.

Onion fly and hoverfly

The earliest pests of onion - onion flies - begin their march through the plantings very first. Their years begins in late May or early June. The fly itself does not threaten the plantings, this role went to small white insect larvae with a dark head. Set aside at the base of the onion stalk, they go deeper into the soil and gradually bite into the top of the bulb. Since the damage to the underground part of the plant by the onion fly occurs at the initial stage of growth, the yield loss can be 100%.

Hoverflies are onion pests that can destroy most of the crop. Just like the onion fly, this insect lays eggs in the beds, after which they sink into the soil. Already there, larvae appear from them, gnawing passages inside the bulbs. For a long time, the symptoms of damage remain unnoticed, as the feather continues to grow due to the nutrients present in the bulb. Only at the beginning of August, a summer resident can find a completely rotten onion in the garden.

Flies are very dangerous pests of onions, and the fight against them should begin from the first days after planting the crop. First you need to mulch the beds with peat. When a clutch of onion and hoverfly eggs appears, irritants such as tobacco dust and hydrated lime with fine sand in a 1: 1 ratio can be used. You can also scare away insects from planting with mothballs. If onion pests have nevertheless penetrated into some plants, they must be carefully removed from the garden, and the place where they grew should be sprinkled with a mixture of ash and slaked lime.

Lurker

Another insect whose activity can lead to a large loss of crops is the lurker, a small beetle from the weevil family. These pests of onions and the fight against them differ little in the way of spoiling onions from the aforementioned flies. The only thing that is characteristic of the lurkers is the way of delivering their larvae inside the bulb. Beetles gnaw through small rounded holes in the aboveground green part of the plant and lay their eggs inside them. Tiny insect larvae penetrate the underground part of the onion from above and begin to gnaw cavities inside it.

You can scare off adults from planting with the help of strong-smelling substances. For example, sand mixed with powdered mustard and ground pepper, as well as mothballs or tobacco dust, can be scattered between the rows.

Onion moth

The onion moth itself does not damage plantings, but its larvae are malicious onion pests. They feed on plant tissues, penetrating into its leaves. As a result, the aboveground part of the plantings turns yellow and eventually dies off completely. After that, the bulb, which has received less nutrients and plastic substances from the feather, stops growing. In order not to decide how to treat the onions from pests, it is worth taking care that the moth cannot lay eggs on the surface of the plants. To do this, many experienced gardeners during the summer of an insect construct a shelter over the beds from the thinnest non-woven material or equip the beds with various repellents.

Thrips

Thrips are microscopic insects that feed on plant sap, including onions. The surface of an onion feather affected by this pest becomes covered with silvery spots, on which black dots can be seen upon closer inspection. Over time, the onion feather dies, and the bulbs that have not received the required amount of nutrients from the aerial part lag behind in growth.

These pests winter well in the soil, and also survive in the planting material. That is why it is important to observe crop rotation and, before planting, treat the seed with special means or warm it up at a temperature of no more than 50 degrees for 15 minutes.

Potato and winter scoops

Caterpillars of potato or winter moths feed on the roots and aerial parts of onions, gnawing young seedlings near the soil surface or eating out large cavities inside the bulbs. In a word, they do not disdain anything. Before treating onions from pests, it is important to carefully examine all the beds and remove plants damaged by caterpillars. Experienced gardeners advise not to pull out the gnawed onion, but carefully remove it from the garden with a seating scoop along with a lump of soil. In this case, the tracks are guaranteed to be removed from the garden.

So, what should a summer resident take if onion pests have appeared on his beds, and the fight against them begins to turn into a protracted battle for the harvest? The first thing that comes to mind for every owner of six acres is to pickle the whole garden in order to prevent the spread of insects. Here it is worth saying right away that this method is most often the most ineffective, because chemicals for each type of insect are selected individually.

Onion flies and hoverflies, as well as their larvae, can be destroyed by double treatment of plantings with Fufanon and Bazudin preparations, potato scoop and onion moth - with a solution of Iskra M for caterpillars, secretive proboscis and its larvae - with a solution of karbofos. Microscopic pests (aphids, mites and thrips) are practically impossible to destroy with conventional pesticides. They can only be destroyed with a solution of colloidal sulfur.

Folk methods of onion pest control

There are several recipes for onion pest control, which are not difficult to prepare at home. For example, flies (onion and hoverflies) can be scared away from onion beds using infusions of tobacco and ground black pepper. Experienced gardeners also use a saline solution to protect against their larvae, which is poured directly under the roots of the plants. Helps to cope with the invasion of insects and repeated dusting of the beds with tobacco dust, hot red pepper (ground) and ash, taken in equal proportions. Onions processed in this way are bypassed by diseases and pests.

How to prevent pests from spoiling onions

No matter how effective the methods and means of controlling insects are, it is still better not to allow them to appear in the beds. Firstly, every gardener should remember about the crop rotation. The bow should not be planted in the same spot for several seasons in a row. In the fall, it is important to thoroughly cleanse the area of \u200b\u200ball plant debris in which the pests can overwinter, as well as dig deeply into the area where the onion grew. This will help get rid of insects and even nematodes that have survived in the ground. Secondly, pay attention to the combination of plants in the adjacent beds. It is best to grow carrots next to onions, as it repels many of its pests with its smell. Thirdly, it is important to properly prepare the planting material: warm it up in hot water (50 degrees) and pickle it with special compounds. Thus, pests of onions and the fight against them may not cause any inconvenience at all, and even seasoned summer residents will envy the resulting crop.

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Diseases can affect both the plants in the garden and the bulbs during storage. Signs of illness may include discoloration or spotting of feathers. Including, diseases include drying of the aerial part, the softness of the bulbs or the appearance of white, grayish or black bloom on them.

Onion fly

It is very similar to a common fly. Larvae pose a danger to onions. The onion fly comes out of hibernation around mid-May, and lays eggs in early June. The larvae hatch on the fifth or tenth day, penetrate the young bulbs and eat them from the inside.

The feathers of the affected plants turn yellow and dry, starting from the tips, the bulb itself rots. One larva per month of growth can damage the entire garden. After a month, the larva pupates, and soon a new generation of flies appears.

The fight against this pest begins with prevention. After harvesting the onion, you need to carefully sort it out and remove all damaged bulbs. Dry the remaining onion. In the spring, before planting, sort the bulbs again and select the damaged ones again.

It is strongly not recommended to plant onions in the same area for two years in a row. In fact, the correct crop rotation of onions involves the return of planting to the same place no earlier than in the fourth or fifth year; it is good to sow onions and garlic in the place where cabbage, nightshade or pumpkin crops were last year. The onion fly hibernates at a depth of up to 20 centimeters, so in the fall, the beds need to be dug deep and all plant debris removed.

The onion fly does not like the smell of carrots, so it is advisable to plant onions and carrots (or garlic and carrots) in the same bed, alternating rows. Before planting, onion sets must be disinfected in hot water. To do this, hold it in water at a temperature of 45-46 degrees, for ten to a maximum of fifteen minutes.

The onion fly is afraid of salt. You can process the beds two or three times per season. The first treatment is carried out when the shoots are about 5 cm. For each subsequent treatment, the amount of salt must be increased. The first ratio is 300 grams per 10 liters, then 400 grams and, if the treatment is carried out for the third time, 600 grams of salt.

The beds (the plants themselves) need to be watered with saline, and after four to five rinse with plenty of clean water. The interval between treatments is about two weeks. Within a week after the flight of the onion fly, you can process the aisles of onion plantings with a mixture of tobacco dust and sunflower ash. Lime or ammonium carbonate is also allowed.

Useful tips for killing pests and treating diseases of green onions and garlic.

Lurker

The onion lurker, also known as the weevil, is a small beetle of dark gray or black color. Both beetles and larvae are dangerous for the plant. The body of the beetle is up to 2.5-2.7 mm long, with a characteristic proboscis bent downwards. The larva is a yellowish caterpillar with a brown head, 6-6.5 mm long. The pest feeds on the pulp of the leaves, which is why white dots or stripes appear on it.

Particularly affected leaves dry out. Despite the fact that the hidden proboscis does not directly harm the bulb. Due to the damage done to the green part of the plant, the onion yield in the infected area is significantly reduced.

The lurker begins activity quite early - in mid-April, and feeds on initially unharvested remains or sprouted onions. In late April or early May, females lay eggs inside the tubular onion leaves. After a week or two, the hatched larvae migrate to the leaves.

The larvae actively feed on the pulp of the leaves, and after three weeks they go out into the soil and pupate. This usually happens in July. A new generation of beetles appears in the same summer and continues to feed on the leaves and inflorescences of onions. And the fight against this pest is primarily based on crop rotation.

A new planting of onions must be placed as far as possible from the previous planting, and always carefully remove all residues and waste of the onion. Further, at the time of pupation of the larvae, it is necessary to regularly loosen the aisles of the onions to a depth of 5-10 centimeters. This is necessary so that the maximum number of pupae of the lurking proboscis is on the soil surface and perishes.

As a bait for the lurker, the crops of the onion can be used. They can be placed next to a regular bow, and then destroy the batun beds along with pests. It is advisable to do this at the stage of the first white stripes on the leaves.

This is very important, since during this period the larvae are just beginning to grow and do not have time to infect the soil with pupae. A mixture of tobacco dust and wood ash scares off the lurker well. To do this, it is necessary in a ratio of 1 to 2, sprinkle the plants themselves after watering), tansy and celandine (sprinkling with dry powder or spraying plants with decoction).

Triceps

Thrips or thrips represent a whole group of pests. These are insects of small size (on average, the body of an adult is up to 1 mm in length) of a discreet color, mainly herbivorous. Unlike the previous two, thrips are not only pests of onions and garlic, but also cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, ornamental and even indoor plants.

Thrips are fertile and develop rapidly, during the season they can give from 3 generations in the open field and up to 8 in greenhouses. The larvae of thrips suck the juice from the vegetative parts of the plants. When they are significantly damaged, the stem is bent, the bulb softens, the plant stagnates and does not give seeds.

The most dangerous for onions are tobacco thrips and onion thrips. Measures to combat them are the destruction of the food base and individuals in the soil at rest. This means that in the fall you need to carefully dig up the beds, to a depth of 15-20 centimeters (the bulk of thrips hibernate at a depth of 5-7 centimeters) and remove as much as possible any plant residues and roots that can serve as food for the pest. The greenhouse after harvest can be treated with 0.15% karbofos.

In the summertime, deep loosening of onion row spacings is effective in order to destroy the pupae of thrips. Also, to protect onions from thrips, it is recommended to maintain a crop rotation and not plant onions next to other crops that are the food base of the pest: cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes. For small lesions, spraying plants with decoctions of odorous and caustic herbs of celandine, tobacco, mustard, and hot pepper is effective.

To do this, you can take 1 kg of fresh hot pepper and boil it in 10 liters of water for an hour. Then leave for 24 hours and pour into dark bottles. Before use, 125 ml of pepper concentrate is diluted in 10 liters of water and sprayed with this solution. The treatment is repeated at intervals of two weeks.

Winter crops and potato scoops

Scoops are small (up to 4.5 cm in wingspan), inconspicuous shades of butterflies, which are universal pests. Caterpillars of scoops affect the plantings of various types of cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, carrots - in fact, all garden crops, and both aerial parts of plants and roots are used for food. In late August-September, female moths lay eggs.

From overwintered eggs in late April-early May caterpillars emerge, which begin to actively feed on both cultivated and weeds. Caterpillars pupate no later than mid-July, in the soil, at a depth of 6-10 cm. After a while, butterflies emerge from the pupae and lay new eggs.

Based on such a life cycle of scoops, the fight against them, first of all, consists in thorough digging and loosening of the soil. This is done in order to kill as many eggs and pupae as possible by removing weeds. Because they allow caterpillars to saturate before active growth of cultivated plants.

From well-known folk remedies against scoops, you can apply a decoction of wormwood. It is necessary to boil 1 kg of grass in a volume of 3 liters of water for 15 minutes. Processing is carried out twice, with a break of a week.

An infusion of white mustard is also suitable. For preparation, you need to insist 2 grams of powder in a glass of water for two days, then strain and dilute with plain water to a volume of 1 liter). Unfortunately, such a pest as the winter moth is quite aggressive, and in case of significant damage to the plantings, industrial insecticides of wide action may be needed.

Thus, the optimal protection of onions and garlic from pests will be:

complex wrestling throughout the season;
observance of crop rotation (thus, pests of onions and garlic remain without a forage base for the next season);
deep digging of the soil in the fall, with the removal of plant residues and weed roots;
destruction of plant parts infected with pests;
thoroughly drying the seedling onion and checking it before planting;
loosening the beds of onions and garlic to a depth of at least 10 cm several times per season, which makes it possible to destroy a significant part of the pupae;
treatment of plants with various infusions of herbs and spices that repel insects;
processing plantings with a solution of ordinary table salt;
use of tobacco dust. This adjuvant is sold in specialized stores and, when used in the beds, disorients pests by interrupting the smell of plants;
in case of excessive appearance of pests, it will be necessary to use agrochemistry.

Video "How to deal with onion diseases"

Useful tips for eliminating the cause of the appearance of yellow feathers in onions, its treatment and prevention of pests.

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How to deal with pests of onions with folk remedies?

Onion pests

Onion pest control - how to recognize an insect attack?

Onions can become infected with a disease or be attacked by pests both during storage and directly in the garden. Many experienced gardeners immediately notice the signs and try to get rid of the action. How to identify a hazard? Onions normally have bright green feathers that are juicy and flexible. The affected plant immediately begins to turn yellow, become stained, dry out or break. Not all summer residents want to use chemicals for pest control, and this is understandable. Everyone wants to pluck organic vegetables and fruits from their garden beds, since pickled fruits can be purchased in stores without any problems.

See also: What pests attack onions and how to get rid of them?

Downy mildew. A very common disease that occurs in all regions of our country. It immediately betrays itself by external signs, among which we can divide the following:

Drying of feathers.
The presence of grayish spots with a white tinge.
Plaque formation.
Feather yellowing and wilting.

Most often, downy mildew attacks in spring, when the plant is not strong and strong enough. The feathers are affected first, but gradually the disease passes to the fetus, making it unusable. What could be the reason? Most often it is low-quality and infected planting material. Therefore, be especially careful where and from whom you buy bulbs. Experts advise giving preference to specialized stores.

Folk remedies for downy mildew. Since the plant will be consumed, chemical treatment cannot be used. First of all, stop applying organic fertilizers to the soil and slightly reduce the amount of watering. Why? The infection develops in a humid place. Where dry it should not be. After that, the beds should be sprayed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer. And if you have harvested, then carefully warm it up in the sun.

Downy mildew

Onion fly. This is the most harmful insect that begins to harm the plant at the beginning of May. The female lays eggs on young feathers, and the hatched larvae feed on the juice of the bulb. The root crop rots or dries up before it grows. What are the signs of an onion fly?

The presence of larvae on onion lanes.
Yellowed edges.
White spots at sites of attack of larvae.

Folk remedies for onion flies. There are several ways to get rid of this insect. Firstly, when planting, it is necessary to alternate onions with carrots, which scares off a fly and does not allow it to approach the plant. You can also sprinkle with salt solution and cover the beds with ash.

Onion fly

Onion thrips. Very small insects that hibernate in deep soil layers, and in spring appear on young crops, in particular on onions. Thrips lay their eggs at the base of the feathers, which will show gray spots and debris. Those bulbs on which thrips were located die. What is the best way to scare away this insect? The specialist talks about tobacco, ash and naphthalene. All these methods are based on a pronounced smell, which repels the pest.

Onion thrips

So, the fight against pests of onions with folk remedies begins already in the spring and continues until the harvest. Do not despair if you notice unexpected insects in your summer cottage. By following our advice, you will definitely get rid of them.

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Diseases and pests of onions and their treatment, prevention

Gardeners and agricultural enterprises are constantly faced with the emergence of diseases that can cause great damage to onion plantings. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to take preventive measures and follow the rules for their cultivation, as well as know what infections onions are susceptible to, the reasons for their appearance, remedies and methods of dealing with them.

There are about fifty types of fungi and pests that cause onion diseases.

Major diseases

There are about fifty types of fungi and pests that can cause various diseases of onions. They appear both in the open field and in the greenhouse. Some of the common diseases are peronosporosis, cervical rot, jaundice, and fusarium.

Powdery mildew. This common bacterial infection is called peronosporosis. It manifests itself in such well-known varieties as turnips, onions, and leeks. The bulbs change shape and stop developing. The fungus, which is the causative agent of peronosporosis, leads to the fact that a yellowish bloom forms on the leaves of the plant and their gradual dying off begins. For treatment, you must take the following measures:

Apply fertilizers from potassium and phosphorus. This will increase the resistance of the vegetable to infection, strengthen the protection against peronosporosis.
To combat peronosporosis, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment with fungicides.
When growing, do not thicken the plantings and start the growth of weeds.
When signs of peronosporosis appeared, they stop watering the crop and no longer feed the soil with nitrogen fertilizers. If by that time the bulbs are formed, they must be removed and dried in the sun for two weeks.

Poor weather conditions contribute to the development of powdery mildew or downy mildew

Gray (cervical) rot. This is a dangerous disease of onions, which is characterized by a gradual damage to the scales near the neck. Early ripening varieties, such as onion, are less susceptible to infection. It usually occurs through the soil or affected bulbs after harvesting in both the garden bed and the greenhouse. The infection is spread by rains and pests. To combat gray rot, it is necessary to take measures:

you need to use only healthy planting material when growing, choose early varieties for sowing;
to provide protection against rot, the soil is fertilized with nitrogen substances, and at the end of ripening, potassium and phosphorus are used.

Cervical, or gray rot - one of the most dangerous diseases of onions

Fusarium. The disease is manifested by the softening of the bottom of the bulb, the death of the root system. The leaves turn yellow and the bulb dies. This fungal disease is often found in onions and batun.

Regarding treatment, it is necessary to take measures to cultivate the soil before cultivation. Only high quality planting material should be used. Diseased plants must be removed immediately. They are destroyed, and the rest are treated with a special preparation. A folk remedy is also suitable: a decoction of horsetail or an infusion of ash.

Fusarium - softening of the bottom of the bulb and the death of the root system

Onion jaundice. It affects all varieties of vegetables, but its signs are most clearly visible on the inflorescences of turnip and leek. With the development of this onion disease, the leaves of the root vegetables become spotty, their arrows turn yellow.

This virus does not respond to treatment. The fight against it involves the regular removal of diseased plants. At the same time, all weeds are removed, spraying is carried out.

Pests

Diseases can be caused by some pests:

Onion fly. It infects the fruits, penetrating the bulbs in the form of larvae. From this, the vegetable stops growing and rots, the feathers become yellow and dry. Of the types of onions, the fly prefers turnips, leeks and batun onions. In the event that diseases with signs of these pests are identified, it is necessary to take a number of appropriate measures to protect against insects and control them:

It is necessary to cultivate the soil around the root crops by spraying. To do this, you need to mix three hundred grams of table salt and ten liters of water. Roots are treated with this solution every 10 days, watering them under the root, without touching the leaves.
The bulbs are planted far from their previous growing location.

Onion fly is found in all regions of Russia

Root mite. Various varieties of vegetables are susceptible to infection. These hygrophilous pests very often infect onions, spring onions and leeks. Rotting of the bulbs occurs, a fungus forms. Thus, you will have to fight both the mite and the fungus. Measures taken to destroy the tick:

if a piece of land was infected with a tick, it is not worth cultivating such plants on it for three years;
one of the ways to combat it is to heat the fruit;
you can get rid of the insect during the growing period by spraying the plants with a 0.2 percent solution of celtan.

Onion root mite

Onion moth. This small butterfly gnaws at the flesh of the leaf, forming passages in the tissues. The leaves gradually begin to die off. These insects are common pests of onions, onions and leeks. Moth control measures:

plants must be sprayed;
be sure to remove post-harvest residues;
the soil is plowed deeply and loosened.

Onion moth

Greenhouse conditions and diseases

Growing onions in a greenhouse can help reduce the risk of certain infections. Indeed, in such a room it is easier to maintain the temperature regime, observe the humidity. Ventilating and circulating air in the greenhouse will help prevent mold and mildew growth. Still, it will not be possible to completely get rid of all pathogenic fungi and infections. For example, downy mildew can cause damage both in the field and in the greenhouse. Therefore, to combat it, the soil for planting must be treated with special means.

When growing onions in a greenhouse, a leaf-cutting procedure is carried out so that dry leaves do not become a source of disease. Resistance to them also depends on the varieties of onions. With proper care in a well-equipped greenhouse, it can grow a decent harvest of green onions.

Along with peronosporosis and fusarium, diseases such as bacteriosis of onion, smut, anthracnose, cercospora, and others are widespread. Some preventive measures need to be taken to ensure that vegetables are protected from infections and pests:

It is necessary to start growing onions by preparing a greenhouse, disinfecting the soil in the garden. If you plan to grow green onions, you cannot spray vegetables.
Compliance with crop rotation.
After the crop has been harvested, steps must be taken to ensure comfortable storage conditions.

Pests of onions and the fight against them - this is how the first question sounds, which many gardeners are puzzled with, who have found small insects in the onion garden. How to determine the type of pest, and most importantly, how to get rid of it in the shortest possible time?

Before starting the fight against insects that attacked the onion bed, you need to correctly determine the type of pest. The efficiency of processing depends on whether the identification was made correctly. What insects like onions?

Onion fly

It affects the culture in the first period of growth. During a massive summer, insects lay eggs between rows of onions. Under favorable conditions, after a week, worms appear that do not destroy green sprouts, but climb inside the bulbs and begin to eat them. The danger of this insect is that only a couple of larvae are able to kill the plant in a short time. Depending on the location of the region, 2-3 generations of flies are activated during the growing season.

Root mite

Another of the small insects that affect onions during the growing season and storage. Pests reproduce most actively in warm rainy summers. Root mite females lay about 350 eggs, from which larvae emerge. Adults and young individuals eat juicy scales, as a result of which the turnip turns into dust. The withered twisting stems, the surface of which is covered with spots of white color, testify to the attack of unexpected guests.

Onion stem nematode

At the last stage of growth, onions are affected by small worms. First, the nematode feeds on juicy feathers, and then on the turnips themselves. In plants attacked by a nematode, feathers become lighter and deformed. The stems covered with swollen areas quickly wither and die. At the time of the appearance of external signs, the bulb is already severely damaged.

Onion weevil

A distinctive feature of the pest is a long, slightly bent nose. The larvae hatched from eggs, which the female insect laid with the arrival of spring, inflict the greatest damage on the onion. If the planting is not immediately processed, the larvae quickly climb inside the feathers and eat them. A sign that insects have begun to be active are elongated white spots on the surface of the feathers. The bugs are also quite voracious, as they suck the juice from the greens with the help of the trunk.

Onion hoverfly

The large bronze-green fly lays eggs, from which gray-green larvae hatch, which feed on the pulp of the turnip. Most often, the hoverfly lays eggs on already diseased plants. The danger of a pest lies in the fact that it is rather difficult to identify it - when there are no signs on the upper part, the lower part is already quite spoiled. If nothing is done, the onion hoverfly will remain for the winter and harm crops in the next season.

Onion (tobacco) thrips

Small insects attack young shoots soon after they appear on the surface. From the eggs laid on the tops of the feathers, yellow worms hatch. In a matter of days, the affected plants are covered with silvery spots and small black dots. As a result of the vital activity of pests, the onion turns yellow and dries up.

How can pests be prevented?

Since the fight against voracious insects does not always end successfully, it is better to try to avoid the appearance of pests in your area. What manipulations will help ward off insects from the onion garden? List:

Compliance with the rules of crop rotation. Like most cultivated plants, onions can be planted in the same place only 3-4 years after the first planting.
Digging the soil. On the eve of winter, the garden bed is carefully cleaned and dug up. Re-digging is carried out in the spring.
Planting carrots. Since the leaves of this plant produce phytoncides, the aroma of which is not to the liking of many insects, the culture is placed next to the onion bed.
Sevka processing. To destroy microorganisms on the surface of the onions, the planting material is soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate, and then dried and heated at a temperature of + 30– + 40 ⁰С or water is lowered for 10 minutes, the temperature of which is + 50– + 55 С.
Spraying. In order to scare off pests, onions are treated with wormwood infusion.
Care. The bed must be weeded and loosened regularly. Manipulation not only activates turnip growth, but also helps to identify diseased or insect-damaged plants.
The choice of the variety. Thanks to the work of breeders, there is a large assortment of varieties on sale, the overwhelming majority of which are resistant to bacteria. Diseases of onion and their treatment take a lot of time from the gardener, thereby distracting from other equally serious problems.
Early landing. Onions are planted immediately after the soil dries out from melt water. The earlier the planting is done, the more the plants will get stronger by the time the pests breed.

As you can see, the rules of prevention are very simple, so even a person who first started growing onions can follow them. However, even in spite of all these actions, insects often attack the culture. What to do in this case?

How to deal with pests?

Unfortunately, there is no single scheme for onion pest control. The list of manipulations directly depends on the type of insect. So, an infusion of herbs with a pungent smell will help get rid of onion flies and onion hoverflies: garlic, wormwood, tobacco, hot red pepper. Fertilizing with urea will help scare off pests. For prevention purposes, the bulbous beds are covered with mulching material.

If weevils attacked the garden bed, infusions of plants with a strong aroma are used as weapons. The insect will definitely not covet onion, from which the smell of celandine, mustard or tansy emanates. In addition to spraying the plants, you can generously sprinkle with chopped dry herbs. The beds are dusted with wood ash and tobacco leaf powder.

To get rid of onion thrips will help all the same "aromatic" mixtures. The most effective remedies are prepared as follows:

Put 1 kg of wormwood in a saucepan and pour 3 liters of water, after which the mixture is boiled for 20 minutes and cooled. Spray onions 2 times with an interval of 7 days.
Stir 2 g of mustard powder in a glass of water. The mixture is infused for 48 hours. To prepare the working solution, the volume of the concentrate is adjusted to 1 liter.

To prevent the appearance of a pest, organic residues are carefully removed before winter. The instrumentation necessary for planting is treated with a disinfectant. In case of severe infection, onions are treated with chemicals, such as EDG, Aktara.

For the destruction of onion moth and a number of other insects, the following agents are widely used:

300 g of wood ash is poured with boiled water, after which it is left to infuse. For better adhesion, 40 g of soap is added to the cooled strained mixture.
100 g of calendula seeds are poured into 5 liters of water and left to infuse for two days. The resulting infusion is treated with moth-affected onions.
Finely chopped garlic is poured in a 1: 1 ratio with water and insisted for 14 days in a closed jar. To prepare a working mixture for 10 liters of water add 70 g of concentrate.
0.5 kg of red hot pepper is cut in half, put into a 5-liter saucepan and boiled. The cooled broth is filtered. Onions are sprayed with a solution of 10 liters of water, 130 g of broth, 40 g of soap.
200 g of tobacco is poured with boiling water and left to infuse. After the mixture has cooled, it is filtered. Plants and soil are sprayed. Consumption per sq.m. beds - 1 l.
To destroy the onion fly, the soil around the turnips is sprayed with a salt solution. To prepare the mixture, I dissolve 200 g of sodium chloride in a bucket of water. The treatment is carried out upon reaching a height of 5 cm. Subsequent spraying is carried out at intervals of 3 weeks.

If these agents are ineffective in the fight against numerous insects, the onion is sprayed with chemicals. Good results are shown by Proclame, SPINTOR, Decis, Bi-58, Tabazol, Metaphos.

Regardless of the type of insect that attacked the onion planting, it is recommended to use aggressive pesticides only in case of severe infection.

Both the first and the second type of spraying are carried out in dry, quiet weather in the afternoon. To achieve a positive effect, the treatment is carried out periodically.

As you can see, the variety of onion pests is quite large. Having found at least one insect on the plants, you need to immediately begin measures to destroy it. If you do not react in time, the seemingly harmless bugs will eat the whole onion in a matter of days. To reduce the risk of collision with voracious insects, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures, which consist of observing the rules of crop rotation, soil preparation and seeds.