If you spot lice on your raspberry bushes, act relatively quickly. On the one hand, the animals can multiply explosively, but on the other hand they can also transmit viruses and attract fungal pathogens. These diseases are harder to fight. They can also do far more damage than the lice and significantly reduce your harvest.
Home remedies for aphids on raspberries
The two species of raspberry aphid overwinter as eggs in the ground or on the lower ends of the raspberry canes. The larvae develop relatively early in the year so that the young lice can hatch in March. Now is the time to check your raspberry bushes for an infestation. In particular, take a look at the undersides of the leaves, here you can sometimes find entire nests or colonies of small aphids. The great aphid, on the other hand, tends to occur singly. However, you can fight both types in the same way.
Home remedies and mechanical means of controlling aphids:
- collect (with low infestation)
- sharp jet of water
- Predators
- Niembaum preparations
- Mixture of water, oil and soap
- Herbal stock (nettle, garlic, tansy)
- radical cut back
Collecting
The collection of aphids is only recommended if the infestation is low, otherwise it will be very tedious. Alternatively, you can simply pluck off individual infected leaves and dispose of them in the household waste. Check yours in the next few days
Raspberry bushes regularly. It is not uncommon for entire colonies to appear shortly after individual lice.Sharp jet of water
You can also drive away aphids from your plants with a sharp jet of water. Most of the time, the lice do not survive this attack. However, since eggs can remain, you should repeat the treatment after a few days. If the soil is well-drained, the treatment is free of side effects. The water simply seeps away and the rods dry off quickly.
Predators
You have (almost) no work when you fight the unwanted guests with predators. Not only ladybirds and lacewings like lice, but also birds and various larvae, for example hoverflies and parasitic wasps, feed on them. Other predators are spiders and predatory bugs. You can buy some of these enemies as larvae or eggs from specialist shops. This is particularly recommended for infested plants in greenhouses. In the garden you should simply ensure good living conditions for these beneficial insects.
Niembaum preparations
You can get ready-made neem tree preparations in specialist shops, seeds also in health food stores. Both are environmentally friendly and act as a natural insecticide. You can make your own brew from the seeds. Never should also act as a fungicide, i.e. against fungal infections.
Mixture of water, oil and soap
Another home remedy for aphids and other pests is a mixture of water, oil, and soap
or detergent. However, it should be used with caution. Namely, it kills not only the unwanted pests but also some useful insects. The solution can also clog the leaf pores of your raspberry bushes and thus damage your bushes. The alternative of soft soap suds is also effective, but not uncritical. It may kill useful soil dwellers if it seeps into the ground.Herbal brew
You can easily make a herbal brew from various herbs. Nettle, garlic, and tansy work particularly well. In the case of nettles or field horsetail, it is sufficient if you add the herb (approx. 100 grams per liter of water) soak in water for about 12 to 24 hours.
Other herbs, such as tansy, black tea or wormwood, should be brought to the boil, because then the active ingredients develop better. Garlic stock is also made with boiling water. Let about 50 grams of crushed toes soak in it for about 30 minutes. Cooled and filled into a flower syringe, the brew can easily be spread over the infested plants. Depending on the herb used, the brew also helps against fungal infections (garlic, field horsetail, onion).
Radical cut back
If you have a lot of raspberry bushes, but only a few of them are heavily infested with aphids, then think about a radical pruning before the pesky critters move onto the other bushes pass over. A pruning is also recommended if other measures and home remedies show no or only an unsatisfactory effect. In this case, a harvest may be less or even completely, but a renewed infestation in the next year can possibly be avoided.
Eat fruit after treatment?
As a rule, the raspberry bushes are treated against aphid infestation long before they start to bear fruit. You can then eat the raspberries with confidence. It would look different if, for example, you use nettle manure too late (during fruit formation). This could possibly have a negative effect on the taste.
Home remedies for aphid prevention
There are a few steps you can take to prevent aphids from appearing on your raspberries in the first place
take for prevention.Preventive measures against aphid infestation:
- Do not plant shrubs too densely
- sunny location
- Tie up the rods
- Nettle manure
- near-natural garden with many natural predators
- choose robust varieties
Do not plant shrubs too densely
If your raspberry bushes are close together, any pests that may be present can easily spread and attack your entire stand. In addition, the moisture remains a lot between plants that are close together after a downpour longer, while in larger spaces it can dry out more quickly due to wind and solar radiation.
Sunny location
Raspberry bushes prefer a sunny location and loose, well-drained soil. They thrive here better than on heavy, moist soils or in the shade. This also makes the rods more resilient and robust.
Tie up the rods
By tying the rods up, the raspberries get more air and sunlight. They dry off faster after a downpour.
Nettle manure
Nettle liquid should not be confused with nettle stock. The liquid manure is usually prepared in large quantities and slowly ferments. Since this process is very odorous, you should apply the liquid manure as far away as possible from your terrace or your preferred location in the garden. Also think about your neighbour's nose. The finished liquid manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, then you can water your raspberry bushes with it. Nettle manure is rich in nitrogen and strengthens the resistance of plants.
Natural garden & natural predators
Birds, hedgehogs, insects and many other beneficial insects feel at home in a natural garden with many native plants and (wild) herbs. They ensure a natural balance between living things and destroy many pests.
Choose robust varieties
There are now many raspberry varieties on the market that are particularly resistant to disease and pest infestation. In general, for example, the Autumn varieties be more resistant than the summer varieties.
