How to get rid of aphids with the least damage to tomatoes?

The voracious aphid is one of the most dangerous pests affecting tomato plantings. Insects suck juices from plants, which leads to reduced yields and spoilage of fruits.

Tomatoes are also affected by this pest, and in a greenhouse the risk of damage increases, since the protected structure creates ideal conditions for insects. Why do aphids appear on tomatoes in a greenhouse and how to get rid of them?

Pest Information

Aphids attack tomatoes when grown in a greenhouse and in open beds. Seedlings also suffer from this insect.

It is not difficult to recognize the pest on plants. Aphids are small parasites 2–7 mm long. There are several thousand species of this insect. Adults have a proboscis, which they use to pierce the surface of a leaf and extract juice from it.

Aphids emerge from larvae that the insect lays in the fall. In the spring, young individuals emerge from them.

Eggs and larvae overwinter not only on plant remains, but also in the ground. Due to their small size, they are difficult to notice. After birth, the parasite actively reproduces.

Aphids secrete a sugary substance as waste products. This sweet substance attracts ants and other insects, which use it for food.

If there are ants in the area, the risk of aphids increases. Ants accompany it and protect the pest population from other insects.

When aphids appear, it is important to take action in time. Otherwise, it turns into a real disaster for the garden plot.When pest will hit all plantings, it will be difficult to fight it.

It is important to know! Aphids are dangerous for any vegetable crop in the garden.

What harm does an insect cause to tomatoes?

Aphids are sucking pests that feed on plant juices. If you don't fight it, it completely depletes the plant and destroys it.

The parasite is also dangerous because it transmits viral and fungal diseases. Infection occurs through the proboscis, with which the insect sucks out the juice. The pest carries diseases such as tomato mosaic, late blight, and powdery mildew.

As the colony grows, the leaves of the plant become deformed and dry out. If the tomatoes are already ripe, aphids will not cause them any harm. If not, the fruits stop growing and take on an irregular shape because they lack nutrition.

Signs of aphid damage to tomatoes

Tomato bushes are not the favorite plants of aphids. But if there is no other, more attractive crop nearby, the insect also attacks tomatoes.

At the initial stage of infection, it is almost impossible to detect the parasite. When the first signs appear, inspect the lower part of the foliage. This is where the pest lives.

The following signs of an insect are observed on the leaves of infected tomato bushes:

• on the reverse side of the leaves, clutches of eggs are visible, they look like small bubbles of gray or dark color;
• sticky traces are visible on the leaves and stems - waste products of aphids;
• affected leaves curl and turn yellow;
• the buds wither and fall off;
• Ants appear near the affected bushes.

Aphids infest an area for no apparent reason. Small eggs and larvae of the pest are transferred from one place to another with clothing, wind, plants, animals, and birds.

Types of aphids that live on tomatoes

There are a huge variety of pest species. Aphids are classified according to size, color, and some developmental features. All varieties of the parasite multiply quickly and occupy large areas in a short time.

The following types of aphids are dangerous for tomatoes:

• black;
• white;
• peach;
• melon

Regardless of the type, the pest causes significant damage to plantings in the garden. Aphids do not touch the fruits, but kill the plant itself. Insects prefer young greenery.

Ways to fight

When tomatoes are infected in a greenhouse, aphids very quickly spread to all bushes. High humidity and warmth are ideal conditions for the growth of a colony of parasites. They begin exterminating the insect as soon as it is discovered.

How to fight the parasite, how to treat tomatoes in a greenhouse against aphids? This depends on the stage of crop growth and the number of pests.

Mechanical methods

If parasitic insects have just appeared, they are collected and destroyed manually. Another way is to carefully wash them off with a stream of water, but this risks breaking the plant stems.

They use a mechanical method of fighting - installing protection. To repel insects, copper rims are laid around the beds. There are winged varieties of aphids that fly to other plants and create colonies in new places. It's more difficult to fight them.

Folk remedies

Traditional methods are effective for small colonies of aphids on tomatoes. The good thing about such products is that they can be used to treat tomatoes all summer long as insects appear, without observing certain deadlines.

The most effective means of this group include:

1. Laundry or tar soap. 300 g of laundry soap or 100 g of tar soap are grated and dissolved in 10 liters of warm water.Fairy dish detergent has a similar effect.
2. Ammonia affects the parasite at the local level, leading to respiratory paralysis and death of the insect. To prepare the solution, mix 10 liters of water, 40 ml of ammonia and 40 g of soap. Soap allows the product to better adhere to the leaves and stems of the plant.
3. Ash. The solution is prepared from 200 g of ash and 10 liters of boiling water. The mixture is infused for half an hour and 40 g of grated laundry soap is added.
4. Decoctions from plants. Infusions are prepared from herbs with a bitter taste and pungent odor. Wormwood, celandine, and yarrow have proven themselves well. The herb is poured with water, brought to a boil and boiled for 20 minutes. If desired, add laundry soap.
5. Onion infusion. The mixture is prepared from two chopped onions and 1 liter of water. Infuse and add 5 g of soap. Before use, the infusion is diluted with water.
6. Garlic infusion. The product is prepared from five cloves of chopped garlic and 1 liter of water. Insist for 1 day. Then add 2 tsp. vegetable oil and 1 tsp. liquid soap. Before spraying, 3 tablespoons of infusion are diluted in 10 liters of water.

When using such biological products, the colony dies within a week. If there are a lot of parasites, the bushes are treated once a week until they disappear.

Chemical treatment

Chemical means of combating aphids are switched to when the pest population has increased significantly. The chemicals destroy the colony in two days. Three types of insecticides are used to treat plants:

1. Contact action (“Karbofos”). They penetrate the pest's body through the skin.
2. Intestinal action (“Bankol”, “Aktellik”, “Akarin”). The poison affects the parasite from the inside, penetrating the digestive system.The drug begins to act after the aphid sucks the juice from the treated plant.
3. Systemic action (“Aktara”, “Tanrek”, “Biotlin”). A very effective group of products, but also the most toxic.

Attention! Systemic drugs penetrate not only into the body of insects, but also into fruits, remaining in them for up to 1 month. They are used no earlier than 1.5 months before the tomatoes ripen.

Treat the bushes in any convenient way. The current compositions are periodically changed so that insects do not have time to adapt to them.

Chemical control agents are not recommended for use during fruit formation and ripening. First, the plantings are treated with safe folk remedies.

It is important to take safety precautions when using chemicals. The drugs are harmful not only to the parasite, but also to humans.

Preventive measures against the appearance of aphids

To avoid the appearance of parasites on the site, the following preventive measures are used:

1. Regular inspection of plant stems and leaves. Try to destroy insects when they first appear, otherwise they will spread to other crops.
2. Ventilation of greenhouses and greenhouses.
3. Maintaining optimal air temperature and humidity in the greenhouse.
4. Fighting ants. They are the ones who bring aphids to garden plots and breed them.
5. Planting crops that repel aphids next to tomato beds. These are carrots, dill, parsley, onions, garlic, lavender and thyme.
6. Digging and liming the soil in the fall. Lime kills aphid eggs.
7. Removing and burning plant residues on the site.
8. Sterilization of garden tools after each season.

Read also:

Why is the turtle bug dangerous on tomatoes?

What to do if there are caterpillars in tomatoes - popular methods of control.

Conclusion

Preventive measures protect tomatoes from pest damage. If insects do appear, they begin to fight them using mechanical methods and folk remedies. In case of damage to large areas, chemicals are used.