Onions-one of the most popular crops in the gardens. But this vegetable came to taste not only us, but also a variety of insects. Passionately loves this plant onion fly, which sometimes has time to spoil the entire crop long before we are going to remove it. How to protect the bow from the invasion of this pest and not give him a single chance to win?
Description of pest
Onion fly (Delia antiqua) is similar to the usual room fly. Its body reaches an average length of 6-7 mm and has a yellowish-gray color. The first years of this pest falls on the second half of spring and coincides with the flowering period of dandelion.
Female onion flies lay eggs in groups (7-12 PCs.) on the onion plantation, so that future larvae would be easier to get to the dainty vegetable. The eggs they make at the onions and lumps of soil between the rows.
A few days later the eggs hatch into white legless larvae, reaching lengths of 10 mm. They embedded in the pulp of the onion and begin to slice it from the inside.
After 2-3 weeks, after eating enough, they come out of the bulbs and pupate in the soil at a depth of 15-20 cm and after another 2-3 weeks of these pupae flies a new generation of malicious flies and everything starts in a circle.
In good seasons with moderately warm weather and sufficient rainfall, onions can be attacked by 2-3 generations of this pest. During mass reproduction the flies in the same bulb found several dozen of these disgusting worms. Damaged heads soften, rot and become completely unfit for consumption.
Method of struggle
To combat onion fly, you can use drugs of chemical origin. But before resorting to unsafe chemicals, I propose to try more environmentally friendly means.
Ash
The simplest and most effective method of dealing with onion fly is regular dusting of plantings with ordinary ash. Such a product always remains the property of the cottagers after burning branches left over from trimming, and various weeds.
The ash is abundantly poured into the rows of onions on moist soil, and then sealed with a hoe. It is enough to carry out such a procedure every 2 weeks and onion fly will not dare to approach the dainty vegetable.
Tobacco dust
Does not tolerate this pest smell of tobacco. To scare away unwanted insects, you can buy a package of tobacco dust in the store and during the season, at intervals of 10-14 days, pour this odorous product between the rows of onions.
The procedure is best done a few hours after the next watering, and then loosen the soil around the plants and seal the tobacco dust in the soil with a hand hoe.
Salt
A lot of flattering reviews can be heard from gardeners who have outlived the onion fly from the garden with the help of table salt. This method really works, but requires caution in application, as excessive application of salt in the soil can have a detrimental effect on the development of plants.
If you notice the first signs of the pest in the garden with onions, or rather, removed from the ground a couple of rotted bulbs, go to the kitchen. A faceted glass of table salt should be dissolved in a bucket of water and pour the onion with such a solution under the root on pre-moistened soil. After a few hours, it is necessary to wash off the remains of the salt solution from the ground part of the plants, as well as abundantly shed clean water between the rows. This procedure is carried out no more than 1 time per season.
Wormwood
Will help to deter with onion beds malicious fly common wormwood.
Freshly plucked stalks of wormwood can simply be laid out between the rows of onions and periodically replaced with new ones as they wither. And can be cooked of them “a killer” infusion. To do this,take 1-1.5 kg of fresh branches of wormwood, grind, pour 10 liters of water and insist for 2-3 days. The resulting infusion is filtered and abundantly shed them onion plantation from watering. As a prevention of the appearance of flies, the procedure is carried out every 10-14 days.
Carrot
Among gardeners such method of fight against a fly as the mixed landing of onions and carrots is very popular. In this case, it turns out mutually beneficial cooperation of these vegetables: carrot with its aroma scares off the onion fly, and the smell of onions does not allow to approach the carrot fly bed.
I also tried to put these mixed vegetables – pests really was not. But this approach I did not like for another reason. A couple of weeks before harvesting onions, you need to completely stop watering it, so that the heads are matured in dry land, and moisture-loving carrots could not withstand such a test.
So I improved the method a bit. Onions and carrots are also planted close to each other, but now alternate them not through the line, and divide the bed along and on each side plant 3-4 long lines of each vegetable. The effect is the same, but now I can safely continue in July to water the carrot half of the garden without fear to wet the onions.
Marigold
The same effect on the annoying fly produce planted near the onion fragrant marigolds. For planting in the garden bed are more suitable stunted varieties of this ornamental plant.
They are sown along the perimeter of the onion plantation, but an even greater effect can be achieved if, at the stage of planting, the sowing is allocated for the seeds of marigolds transverse grooves inside the bed. They can be alternated every 2-3 lines of onions.
Pine needles
Onion fly can not stand the aroma of pine needles. And it is not only the smell of fresh needles, but also the aroma of pine litter that scares it away. In order not to give the onion fly the opportunity to lay eggs next to the vegetable, the bed is well mulch pine litter immediately after emergence.
Not smaller effect can be achieved if an interval of 10-12 days to shed abundantly aisle onions with an infusion of young pine twigs. For its preparation a bucket on 1/3 fill with the crushed branches of a pine, fill in with water and insist under a cover 3-4 days. After that, the infusion is filtered and after the next watering the beds are spilled with this fragrant drug between the rows of onions.
The following substances do not quite correspond to the concept of absolutely environmentally friendly — after all, they are created by man, and for other purposes. But these funds are not dangerous and have been tested by thousands of summer residents.
Naphthalene
The well-known naphthalene, with which we fight with domestic moth, can help out in the garden in the fight against onion fly. Today, this drug with a bright smell is most often sold in the form of balls. Such packaging suitable for use in the home, but for use in the garden, they must be crushed.
Powder obtained from 8-10 naphthalene balls should be mixed with ½ bucket of sand and sprinkle with this mixture onion plantation. The procedure should be carried out every 7-10 days during the summer and egg laying dangerous pest.
Kerosene
Will scare the dirty fly from the onion smell of kerosene. To do this, pour 200 ml of kerosene into ½ bucket of sand and mix the contents thoroughly. You need to act in rubber gloves, otherwise it will be difficult to save your hands from the smell of this “fragrant” potion.
If you pour such a mixture into the aisles of onions every 10-12 days, the pest will not risk approaching the vegetable and a cannon shot. By the way, do not be afraid that the onion will suffer from such a means – the smell of kerosene is not transmitted to the heads and the quality of the crop is not affected.
Ammonia
Another effective tool in the fight against onion fly — ammonia. This medical product is in the pharmacy penny, and the benefits are huge.
To get rid of the already appeared pest, it is necessary to water the plantings with a solution prepared from 3 tablespoons of ammonia and 10 liters of water at intervals of 4-5 days. To prevent the defeat of onions by fly larvae, it is enough to carry out such a procedure every 10-12 days. But it is worth remembering that ammonia will act as a nitrogen fertilizing plants, so such activities need to be completed before mid-June.
Onion fly only at first glance seems invincible garden pest. If you methodically apply the above methods on the onion bed and alternate them with each other during the vegetable growing season, the fly will have nothing else but to go to other edges – away from your “fragrant” garden.