The most effective pest control products: how to treat onions for worms and how to do it correctly

Onions are used to prepare a large number of dishes, so many gardeners grow them in their garden plots. Despite the pungent smell and specific taste, this plant is often attacked by various insects. To protect onions from them and get a good harvest, the soil and plantings are treated with special substances. Can a turnip be wormy and how to get rid of pests, we will tell you in the article.

What worms threaten onions

Damage to onions is caused by both adult insects and their larvae, which hatch from eggs laid in the soil or on its surface. Often a lesion is discovered when the root system is already damaged. Therefore, you need to know the signs of pests and their main external characteristics.

Root mite

This insect settles in the bulb, gradually eating it and causing it to rot. It affects both plantings and already harvested crops. A mature individual reaches 1.1 mm and is white to yellow in color.

The eggs are oval shaped and white. The female deposits them directly into the root system of the plant. After 2-3 weeks, larvae emerge from them. Both adults and young individuals feed on bulb tissues.

Important! Under unfavorable conditions, the root mite falls into a state of suspended animation, but as soon as a favorable environment appears, it becomes active again.

Signs of onion root mite damage include:

• mold and rot on the stem and root;
• head deformation;
• yellowing and drying of onion feathers;
• white coating on leaves;
• drying and gradual falling off of the roots from the bottom of the bulb.

Onion hoverfly

This insect attacks onions in the phase when the heads are already beginning to form. The size of a mature individual reaches 7 mm, and in appearance it is very similar to a fly. A distinctive feature is a bronze-greenish color and 2 gray stripes on the back.

In early May, the hoverfly lays eggs on the soil near the plantings, from which dirty-white worm-like larvae emerge after 5-10 days. It is they who feed on the pulp of the bulb.

Important! Onion hoverfly larvae overwinter in the ground and, with the onset of warmth, turn into pupae, from which adult insects emerge after 2-2.5 weeks.

The main signs of a plant being affected by the onion hoverfly include:

• wilting and yellowing of stems;
• growth arrest;
• softening of the head, blackening of the core;
• in case of massive damage to plantings, an unpleasant odor appears that accompanies rotting of the bulbs.

Onion fly

This pest settles in young seedlings and quickly affects all plantings, as it is able to move from a diseased plant to a healthy one. Mature individual onion fly reaches 8 mm, has an ash-gray body color and oblong-shaped yellow wings.

The fly lays white eggs on onion seedlings and in the soil around them. After 3-6 days, dirty-white larvae appear from them, which settle in the rhizome and feed on it.

Important! The danger of the onion fly lies in the development of several generations per season and its ability to remain in the soil for a long time without a nutrient medium.

Main signs of damage:

• mass wilting of plantings in the first leaf phase;
• the presence of larvae on the soil at the base of the plant;
• small holes in the bulb and feathers;
• rotting of the root system.

Stem nematode

This pest is capable of destroying the plant completely in 7-10 days, sucking the juice from the leaves and bulbs. In this case, the root system begins to rot, leading to the death of the seedling.

A mature individual has a thread-like body of white-yellow color and reaches a size of 1.5 mm. From very small eggs, invisible to the human eye, after 3-5 days larvae appear, outwardly similar to adults.

Symptoms of onion damage nematode relate:

• yellowing and gradual drying of feathers;
• softening the bulbs;
• falling off of the husks and cracking of the surfaces of the heads;
• rotting of the rhizome;
• falling of roots located at the bottom;
• signs of rotting on the lower part of the stem.

The process of forming larvae into adults capable of reproduction takes 1.5 months.

Onion weevil

This pest destroys the stems of the plant, which negatively affects the development of the head.

A mature individual reaches a size of 3 mm and is black in color with a white longitudinal stripe on the back. In the first half of May, the insect lays small white eggs (0.5 mm) in the leaves of seedlings. Of these, oblong yellow larvae appear after 10-14 days.

Symptoms of onion weevil infestation:

• growth arrest;
• yellowing and fading of the arrows;
• irregularities along the edges of the leaves;
• whitish spots and arrows on the stems.

The pest overwinters in the upper layers of the soil and becomes active in mid-April.

Onion moth

The larvae of this insect infect the stems and roots of the plant, leading to its rotting and death.

A mature individual is a small brownish butterfly, reaching 1.5 mm. At the end of May, she lays oval yellow eggs in the onion stems, from which larvae emerge a week later. Their length is 1 cm, the color of the body is yellow-green. A distinctive feature is brown warts that completely cover the body of the larva.

Signs of onion moth damage include:

• growth arrest;
• wilting of leaves;
• the appearance of long longitudinal stripes on the stems;
• yellowing and fading of the arrows;
• bulb rotting.

The second generation of plants appears after 3 weeks, so treatment with drugs must be carried out several times per season.

Thrips

This pest can damage not only landings, but also the harvest in storage.

A mature individual reaches 1.3 mm and has a brown or dirty yellow color, yellow antennae and red eyes. The insect lays white, barrel-shaped eggs in onion stems. After 4-5 days, white or light yellow larvae emerge from them.

Symptoms of thrips damage to onions include:

• growth arrest;
• change in shape and yellowing of stems;
• signs of rotting in the entire seedling;
• silvery or white stripes on the leaves;
• small onions.

The second generation of insects develops in about 20 days, so pesticide treatment is carried out several times per season.

Wireworm

This is the larva of a click beetle that infects the root part of the plant. The wireworm develops over several years, all this time being in the soil and constantly infecting plantings.

Signs of wireworm damage to onions include:

• drying of plant stems;
• holes in the bulbs.

The click beetle is capable of laying larvae on a large number of plantings.Timely treatment with special preparations stops its reproduction and destroys all generations of the insect.

Symptoms of onion worm damage

The signs of pests in onion beds are similar. First of all, they appear on the stems of the plant, which turn yellow, change and gradually dry out.

Important! Depending on the weather conditions, the damage to the bulbs by larvae also varies. In hot periods they dry out and in rainy periods they rot.

What to do if onions are eaten by white worms

If damage to the onion by harmful insects is detected, the diseased plant is immediately removed along with a lump of earth. Then the soil and plantings are treated with chemical or biological preparations and folk remedies.

The following agricultural methods are also used:

• Mustard, marigolds, mint, calendula and carrots, which contain substances that repel pests, are planted next to the onions;
• regularly weed the plantings;
• loosen the soil;
• thin out;
• mulch;
• constantly inspect seedlings;
• observe the watering regime.

All these actions will help prevent insect damage to the onion and will significantly reduce the spread of pests if they appear.

How to water onions for worms

Ready-made commercial preparations and folk remedies are equally effective against all pests that attack onions. The latter are most often used when there are less than 2 weeks left before harvest, since chemicals tend to accumulate in plant tissues.

Chemicals

Chemicals are used to kill pests on young onion seedlings. When growing a plant They are not used on pens.

Preparations applied to the soil:

• "Fly-eater";
• "Zemlin";
• "Medvetox".

These products are evenly distributed on the surface of the soil, which is then thoroughly loosened.

The following preparations are used to spray leaves:

• "Fitoverm";
• "Iskra DE";
• "Soil."

A prerequisite for the use of chemicals is strict adherence to the instructions indicated on the packaging.

Biological drugs

This type of product is as effective as chemicals, but practically does not accumulate in plant tissues. Therefore, they can be used at any growing season.

How to treat onions for worms:

1. "Trichodermin." To prepare the product, 30 g of the drug is diluted in 30 liters of water.
2. "Metronidazole". 4 tablets are diluted in 10 liters of water and sprayed on the plantings.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies for onion pests will not only destroy all generations of insects, but also saturate the plants with nutrients.

Important! Plantings are treated with folk remedies 3 times per season, taking breaks between them of at least 2 weeks.

The most effective include:

1. Ash. 100 g of the product are diluted in 10 liters of water and sprayed on the plants.
2. Dandelion decoction. Brew 200 g of flowers in 1 liter of water and leave for 2-3 days. The concentrate is diluted in 10 liters of water and sprayed onto the plantings.
3. Soap. Dissolve 200 g of laundry soap shavings in 10 liters of warm water. Add the solution to the soil and spray the seedlings.
4. Salt. Dissolve 300 g of table salt in 10 liters of water and water the onion beds with the product.

How to process correctly

Compliance with the rules for processing onions is a guarantee of complete ridding of plantings from pests. The preparations are applied to the soil after evening watering at the rate of 1 liter per bush, after which deep loosening must be carried out. This promotes the penetration of active substances to the root of the plant.

Spraying onions with solutions is carried out in calm, dry weather 2 times per season with a break of 1.5 weeks at the rate of 4-6 liters per 1 m².

How to treat onions to prevent the appearance of worms

To prevent insects from infesting onion plantings, the seed is soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then the seeds are thoroughly dried and planted in previously prepared soil.

Tilling the land before planting onions

Proper soil treatment will help prevent onion plantings from being damaged by pests. To do this, perform a number of actions:

• in the fall they dig up the beds, plunging the shovel into the ground at full bayonet level;
• in spring, 2 weeks before planting, add 300 g of lime per 1 m² and 20 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m² to the soil;
• After planting the seedlings, sprinkle the soil with 1 tbsp. l. wood ash per 1 m².

After watering, be sure to loosen the soil, since in conditions of high humidity the larvae spread faster.

Tips on the topic

Experienced gardeners use effective methods to protect onion plantings from damage by harmful insects. These include:

• disinfection of seed material with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• compliance with crop rotation (you cannot plant onions in the same place for 2 years in a row);
• destruction of weeds and tops after harvest;
• Sprinkling the onions with chalk powder before storing.

Conclusion

To protect onion seedlings from pests, it is important to follow the planting scheme, watering regime, and treat the seed and soil with special means. If detected early, insect larvae can be completely destroyed.