Winter is a great time to control pests with twice the result for half the effort
Controlling pests in winter yields twice the result with half the effort
(Nongye Zhifu Wang) When pests enter winter, they stop eating and moving, which is the weakest link in their life cycle. Therefore, controlling pests in winter often achieves twice the result with half the effort. The main measures are as follows:
Clean up the field Some pests often lurk in the stubble, remnant plants, dead branches, fallen leaves, dropped fruits and other residues of host plants to overwinter. After the crop is harvested, promptly collect these residues and burn them, compost them or bury them deep, which can eliminate a large number of overwintering pests.
Winter plowing and winter irrigation Through deep plowing in winter, the original living environment of pests can be changed, so that pests in the deep soil are turned up to the surface and die from drying, freeze to death or are pecked by natural enemies, and pests buried deep underground cannot emerge normally and die from being smothered, thereby reducing the source of overwintering pests; plowing followed by winter irrigation can not only settle and weather the soil, but also freeze some overwintering pests to death.
Remove weeds After the crop is harvested, some pests often move to weeds in the field and surrounding areas to overwinter, and by early spring these weeds often become a "shelter" and wild host for overwintering pests to reproduce and cause damage. Therefore, combined with collecting and making fertilizer, removing weeds inside and outside the field is an effective measure to control overwintering pests.
Treat host plants Some pests (such as the Asian corn borer) often hide in the stalks or cob cores of host crops to overwinter after the crop is harvested. Treating the stalks or cob cores of these host crops in winter can greatly reduce the overwintering base of pests.
Clean up the field Some pests often lurk in the stubble, remnant plants, dead branches, fallen leaves, dropped fruits and other residues of host plants to overwinter. After the crop is harvested, promptly collect these residues and burn them, compost them or bury them deep, which can eliminate a large number of overwintering pests.
Winter plowing and winter irrigation Through deep plowing in winter, the original living environment of pests can be changed, so that pests in the deep soil are turned up to the surface and die from drying, freeze to death or are pecked by natural enemies, and pests buried deep underground cannot emerge normally and die from being smothered, thereby reducing the source of overwintering pests; plowing followed by winter irrigation can not only settle and weather the soil, but also freeze some overwintering pests to death.
Remove weeds After the crop is harvested, some pests often move to weeds in the field and surrounding areas to overwinter, and by early spring these weeds often become a "shelter" and wild host for overwintering pests to reproduce and cause damage. Therefore, combined with collecting and making fertilizer, removing weeds inside and outside the field is an effective measure to control overwintering pests.
Treat host plants Some pests (such as the Asian corn borer) often hide in the stalks or cob cores of host crops to overwinter after the crop is harvested. Treating the stalks or cob cores of these host crops in winter can greatly reduce the overwintering base of pests.