How to prevent and control pests and diseases in mushroom sheds? These measures must be mastered

With the development of the vegetable basket project, the demand for edible fungi has increased accordingly, but the harm caused by pests in mushroom sheds has created great obstacles to the development of edible fungi. To alleviate this contradiction, here is an introduction to the main pests in mushroom sheds and their control methods.

1. Mushroom flies

The larvae, also known as fungus maggots, mainly feed on the fruiting bodies, creating tunnels that affect quality, and the wounds they cause are also very easily infected by pathogenic bacteria, leading to rot. Different methods should be used to control mushroom flies at different stages. If a large number of fungus maggots appear before mushroom emergence, dichlorvos can be used for fumigation at a rate of 0.90 kg per 100 sq m, and at the same time, 0.15 kg of 1% potassium chloride or sodium chloride solution (which can be replaced by 5% salt water) should be sprayed on each culture block; if fungus maggots cause damage after mushroom emergence, low-toxicity pesticides such as derris extract, trichlorfon, and nicotine can be sprayed. (Nicotine can be made at home: take 0.50 kg of tobacco stems, add 5 kg of water, boil, and then take the solution for spraying.) In addition, ventilation should be strengthened and the temperature and humidity inside the shed should be adjusted to worsen the pests' living environment and achieve the purpose of controlling their damage.

2. Mushroom mosquitoes

Mushroom mosquitoes cause the greatest damage during the larval stage. In addition to boring and feeding on the surface of the culture material, some also spin webs to cover the mushroom buds, preventing the mushroom bodies from growing normally. Control methods: after harvesting, spray trichlorfon at 500--800 times dilution, and at the same time add nylon gauze 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. Fungus lice

These are a type of mite, very small in size and relatively fast in crawling, mainly feeding on fruiting bodies and mycelium and causing damage. When controlling them, the first step is to prevent the source of the pests from invading the mushroom shed. Because they mainly come from various feeds in warehouses and feed rooms, when using warehouses, chicken coops, etc. as mushroom cultivation rooms, they must be thoroughly disinfected, and the walls should be whitewashed with lime, and then fumigated once with dichlorvos before use; if fungus lice are found during the cultivation period, cotton balls dipped in 50% dichlorvos can be hung for fumigation or a 1% nicotine sulfate solution can be sprayed. It is also possible to spray pig bones and other things with a fishy smell with pesticides such as parathion and place them near the culture blocks to attract the fungus lice onto them, then take them out and burn them or scald them to death with boiling water.

4. Nematodes

Nematodes are a type of colorless small worm, extremely small in body size, only about 1 mm. The larvae attack the mycelium and fruiting bodies. At first the mushroom cap turns black, and later the entire fruiting body turns black and rots and gives off a musty odor. Control methods: when steaming the material, the steam must fully contact the culture material to kill all nematodes. After mushroom emergence, a 50 mg/kg zinc sulfide solution can be sprayed on the culture blocks to control their damage.

5. Springtails

Also known as soot insects. They have a flexible tail and can spring freely, and their bodies have a waxy substance, so they are not afraid of water. They are often distributed on the surface of mushroom beds or in moist, dark places, biting and eating the fruiting bodies. If they appear before mushroom emergence, dichlorvos at 1:1000 dilution plus a small amount of honey can be used as a poison bait to kill them. Or arsenic acid preparations or organophosphorus preparations can be applied to 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 can be added, and then sprayed at a ratio of 1:20 for 2--3 times. The effective rate against springtails is over 90%.

6. Slugs

Commonly known as snails without shells, they are mollusks with exposed bodies and no outer shell. They are afraid of light and heat, hiding under bricks and stones and in soil cracks during the day, coming out one after another after dusk to feed and cause damage, and hiding again before dawn. Control methods: rice bran or soybean cake mixed with 2% calcium arsenate or aluminum arsenate can be made into poison bait to trap and kill them, or a 15--20 times sodium chloride solution can be sprayed on the ground to repel adult slugs. From 9--10 p.m. is the period when they are most active, and at this time manual capture can be carried out.

7. Thrips

The adults are black, small in body size, slightly flat in body, with prominent compound eyes, and the nymphs are orange-red. They mainly suck the juice of the mushroom bodies, and in severe cases can cause the mushroom bodies to shrivel. Control methods: spray with 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500--2000 times dilution, or spray with 90% trichlorfon or 50% malathion at 1000--1500 times dilution. The control effect can reach 80%--90%.

8. Mole crickets

Poison bait is the most effective for trapping and killing them. The formula is 50 g trichlorfon, 1500 g rice bran or wheat bran fried until fragrant, 50 g sugar, and 250 mg white vinegar, fully mixed and then scattered on the ground. Mole crickets and mosquito-like insects die immediately after eating it.

9. Other pests

For false ground beetles, wood-boring beetles, and four-spotted lady beetles, spraying derris extract at 500--800 times dilution or 80% dichlorvos at 1000--1500 times dilution can both achieve relatively good control effects. Termites are a major pest in the south, mainly damaging fungi such as Poria cocos. Digging out nests to eliminate termites is an effective method to avoid or reduce termite damage. In addition, the tree branch method using tree-of-heaven can also be used: dig a small ditch around the mushroom shed, place fresh tree-of-heaven branches evenly in the ditch, and cover them with soil, which has a strong repellent effect on termites.