Do you recognize the several pests that harm 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. Different methods should be used to control mushroom flies at different stages. If a large number of mushroom maggots appear before mushroom formation, dichlorvos can be used for fumigation at a rate of 0.90 kg/100 sq m, and at the same time spray 0.15 kg of 1% potassium chloride or sodium chloride solution on each culture block (5% salt water can be used as a substitute); if mushroom maggots cause damage after mushroom formation, low-toxicity pesticides such as rotenone extract, chlorpyrifos, and nicotine can be sprayed. (Nicotine can be homemade: take 0.50 kg of tobacco stems, add 5 kg of water, boil, and then use 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, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling their damage.
2. Mushroom gnats: Mushroom gnats cause the greatest damage during the larval stage. In addition to boring and feeding on the surface of the compost, some also spin webs that cover the mushroom buds, preventing the mushroom bodies from growing normally. Control method: after harvesting, spray trichlorfon at 500-800 times dilution, and at the same time add nylon mesh at the doors and windows of the mushroom shed to prevent adults from flying in to lay eggs and reproduce and cause damage.
3. Mushroom mites: These are a type of mite, very small in size and relatively fast-crawling, mainly feeding on fruiting bodies and hyphae and causing damage. When controlling them, first of all, the entry of mite sources into the mushroom shed should be completely prevented. Because they mainly come from various feeds in warehouses and feed rooms, when using warehouses, chicken coops, etc. as mushroom-growing rooms, they must be thoroughly disinfected, and the walls should be whitewashed with lime, and then fumigated once with dichlorvos before use; if mushroom mites 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. Pig bones and other fishy-smelling items can also be sprayed with pesticides such as parathion and placed near the culture blocks to attract the mushroom mites onto them, then taken out and burned or killed 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 caps turn black, and later the entire fruiting bodies turn black and rot and give off a musty odor. Control method: when steaming the material, the steam must fully contact the compost to kill all nematodes. After mushroom formation, a 50 mg/kg zinc sulfide solution can be sprayed on the culture blocks to control their damage.
5. Springtails: Also known as soot worms. They have a flexible tail and can jump 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 fruiting bodies. If they appear before mushroom formation, dichlorvos at 1:1000 dilution plus a small amount of honey can be used for trapping and killing. Or arsenious acid preparations or organophosphorus preparations can be applied to sweet potato slices for trapping and killing. After mushroom formation, 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 slugs, they are mollusks with exposed bodies and no outer shell. They are photophobic and afraid of heat. During the day they hide under bricks, stones, and in soil crevices, come out one after another after dusk to feed and cause damage, and hide again before dawn. Control method: rice bran or soybean cake mixed with 2% calcium arsenate or aluminum arsenate can be made into poison bait for trapping and killing, or 15-20 times sodium chloride solution can be sprayed on the ground to repel adults. 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: Adults are black, small in size, slightly flattened, with prominent compound eyes, and nymphs are orange-red. They mainly suck the sap of mushroom bodies, and in severe cases can cause the mushroom bodies to shrink. Control method: 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 mosquitoes die immediately after eating it.
9. Other pests: For false ground beetles, wood-boring beetles, four-spotted leaf beetles, etc., spraying rotenone extract at 500-800 times dilution or 80% dichlorvos at 1000-1500 times dilution can 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-of-heaven branch method can also be used, that is, 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.