Three pests presented + methods of control

Cherry aphids

The insects suck sap from the leaves. Young plants that show stunted growth after severe infestation are particularly at risk. Leaf nests that appear in the area of ​​the shoot tips are typical of sweet cherries. Sour cherries suffer from curved leaves and compressed shoots. The sticky excretions of the pests favor the colonization of black fungi. If flowers are infected, the fruits do not ripen normally.

When is an infestation harmful?

Aphid eggs overwinter on the trees. Larvae hatch when the buds open and suck out the leaf systems. Between May and June the dark brown colored lice leave the cherry trees and settle on herbaceous plants. The winged generations return in autumn to lay their eggs again between the pieces of bark.

How to determine the infestation strength:

• count aphid colonies at the shoot tips from the second bloom
• Control makes sense if more than 100 shoots are infected
• The damage threshold is two to five colonies per shoot

Control measures

Hosing down with a hard jet of water washes the pests from the leaves. An aqueous soap solution has a preventive effect on further spread. Regularly water the trees with fortifying Herbal manure from nettles so that they develop harder leaves.

Little frost wrench

The caterpillars hatch from hibernating eggs in cracks in the bark before the buds break in May. They feed on budding leaf and flower buds until June and on leaves or fruits in the later growing season. Initially, the foliage is pitted until the branches appear completely bare. Damaged fruits are reminiscent of a hollow hemisphere. The larvae withdraw into the ground in summer to pupate there. The new generation of butterflies will hatch from October.

This helps

Rings of glue prevent the flightless females from laying eggs because they stick to the sticky surface. Belt the cherry trees well in advance of the species' flight times. However, these measures pose a threat to birds that peck the moths from the trunks. The caterpillar glue sticks their beaks together while they eat. Preparations with the bacterium Bacillus thurigiensis, which are used in spring at temperatures above 15 degrees, are effective against the caterpillars.

Cherry fruit fly

The pest causes soft and brownish spots on the fruits. The pulp rots in the core area due to the maggot living in it. An infestation is clearly visible at the top of the crown, while the lower cherries are hardly affected. Harvest dead and damaged specimens and cover the ground with a fine-meshed net from May to June. This will prevent the maggots from retreating into the ground to pupate.