What are the common pests in mushroom sheds? A detailed guide to prevention and control measures

As a widely used food ingredient, mushrooms are in great demand on the market and can bring considerable economic benefits to vegetable growers. Nowadays, greenhouse mushroom cultivation is very common, and during actual cultivation, it is prone to which pests? What are the prevention and control measures?

I. Which pests are prone to appear in mushroom sheds?

1. Mushroom flies

The larvae, also called mushroom maggots, mainly feed on the fruiting bodies, creating tunnels that affect quality, and the wounds they cause are also very easily infected by pathogens, leading to rot.

2. Mushroom gnats

Mushroom gnats cause the greatest damage in the larval stage. Besides boring and feeding on the surface of the growing substrate, some also spin webs that cover the mushroom buds, preventing the mushroom bodies from growing normally.

3. Nematodes

Nematodes are a type of colorless small worm, extremely tiny, only about 1 millimeter. The larvae attack the mycelium and fruiting bodies. At first the mushroom cap turns black, and afterward the entire fruiting body turns black and rots, with a musty odor.

4. Springtails

Also known as soot insects. They have a flexible tail and can spring freely, and their bodies have a waxy layer, so they are not afraid of water. They are often distributed on the surface of mushroom beds or in moist dark places, biting and feeding on the fruiting bodies.

5. Slugs

Commonly known as snot worms, they are mollusks with bare bodies and no outer shell. They are photophobic and afraid of heat, hiding during the day under bricks, stones and in soil cracks, emerging one after another after dusk to feed and cause damage, and hiding again before dawn.

II. Prevention and control measures for pests in mushroom sheds

1. Prevention and control measures for mushroom flies

Different methods should be used at different stages to control mushroom flies. If a large number of mushroom maggots appear before mushroom emergence, dichlorvos can be used for fumigation at a rate of 0.90 kg/100 sq m, and at the same time 0.15 kg of 1% potassium chloride or sodium chloride solution can be sprayed on each culture block (5% salt water can be used as a substitute); if mushroom maggots cause damage after mushroom emergence, low-toxicity pesticides such as derris extract, permethrin and nicotine can be sprayed. (Nicotine can be made at home: take 0.50 kg of tobacco stems, add 5 kg of water, boil, then take the solution and spray.) In addition, ventilation should be strengthened and the temperature and humidity inside the shed regulated to worsen the pests' living environment and achieve the purpose of controlling their damage.

2. Prevention and control methods for mushroom gnats

After harvesting, spray 500—800 times diluted trichlorfon, and at the same time add nylon screen at the doors and windows of the mushroom shed to prevent adult insects from flying in to lay eggs and reproduce and cause damage.

3. Prevention and control methods for nematodes

When steaming the material, the steam must fully contact the growing substrate to kill all nematodes. After mushroom emergence, 50 mg/kg zinc sulfide can be sprayed on the culture blocks to control their damage.

4. Prevention and control methods for springtails

If they appear before mushroom emergence, 1:1000 diluted dichlorvos plus a small amount of honey can be used for trapping and killing. Or arsenous acid preparations or organophosphorus preparations can be smeared on sweet potato slices for trapping and killing. After mushroom emergence, pesticides generally cannot be used directly. At this time, 0.25—0.50 kg of fresh orange peel can be cut into pieces, wrapped in gauze and squeezed to extract the juice, then 0.50 kg of warm water added, and sprayed at a ratio of 1:20 for 2—3 times; the effective rate against springtails is over 90%.

5. Prevention and control methods for slugs

Rice bran or soybean cake mixed with 2% calcium arsenate or aluminum arsenate can be made into poisonous bait for trapping and killing, or 15—20 times diluted sodium chloride solution can be sprayed on the ground to repel adult slugs. From 9—10 o'clock at night is the period when they are concentrated in activity, and at this time manual catching can be carried out.