Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Edible Mushroom Pest and Disease Control

1. Mushroom flies

The larvae, also called mushroom maggots, mainly feed on the fruiting bodies, tunneling through them and affecting quality, and the wounds they create are very easily infected by pathogens, causing rot. Different methods should be used to control mushroom flies at different stages. If a large number of mushroom maggots appear before fruiting, fumigate with dichlorvos at a rate of 0.90 kg/100 sq m, and at the same time spray each cultivation block with 0.15 kg of 1% potassium chloride or sodium chloride solution (5% salt water can be used as a substitute); if mushroom maggots cause damage after fruiting, spray low-toxicity pesticides such as derris extract, fenitrothion, and nicotine. (Nicotine can be made at home: take 0.50 kg of tobacco stems, add 5 kg of water, boil, and use the liquid for spraying.) 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. Mushroom gnats

Mushroom gnats cause the greatest damage during the larval stage. Besides boring and feeding on the surface of the compost, some also spin webs that cover the mushroom buds, preventing the mushrooms from growing normally. Control method: after harvesting, spray 500-800 times diluted trichlorfon, and also add nylon mesh 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. Mushroom mites

These are a type of mite, very small in size, crawling relatively quickly, and mainly feeding on fruiting bodies and mycelium, causing damage. When controlling them, first of all, the invasion of mite sources into the mushroom shed should be eliminated. 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 fumigated once with dichlorvos before use; if mushroom mites are found during cultivation, they can be fumigated by hanging cotton balls dipped in 50% dichlorvos or sprayed with 1% nicotine sulfate solution. Pig bones and other items with a fishy smell can also be sprayed with pesticides such as parathion and placed near the cultivation 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 roundworm, 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 afterward the entire fruiting body turns black and rots, with a musty odor. Control method: when steaming the material, the steam must fully contact the compost to kill all nematodes. After fruiting, spray the cultivation blocks with 50 mg/kg zinc sulfide to control their damage.

5. Springtails

Also known as soot insects. They have a flexible tail, 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 eating the fruiting bodies. If they appear before fruiting, use 1:1000 diluted dichlorvos plus a small amount of honey to trap and kill them. Or use arsenious acid preparations or organophosphorus preparations smeared on sweet potato slices for trapping and killing. After fruiting, pesticides generally cannot be used directly. At this time, fresh orange peel 0.25-0.50 kg can be cut into pieces, wrapped in gauze and squeezed to extract the juice, then add 0.50 kg of warm water and spray at a ratio of 1:20 for 2-3 applications. 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 fear 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 method: mix rice bran or soybean cake with 2% calcium arsenate or aluminum arsenate to make poisonous bait for trapping and killing, or spray the ground with 15-20 times diluted sodium chloride solution to repel adult slugs. From 9 to 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 body size, slightly flattened, with protruding compound eyes; nymphs are orange-red. They mainly suck the sap of the mushroom bodies, and in severe cases can cause the mushroom bodies to shrivel. Control method: spray with 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution, or 90% trichlorfon or 50% malathion at 1000-1500 times dilution. The control effect can reach 80%-90%.

8. Mole crickets

Poison bait trapping gives the best results. 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 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 leaf beetles, spraying with 500-800 times diluted derris extract or 80% dichlorvos at 1000-1500 times dilution can achieve good control effects. Termites are a major pest in the south, mainly damaging fungi such as Fuling. Digging out nests to destroy termites is an effective method to avoid or reduce termite damage. In addition, the tree-of-heaven branch method can also be used: dig a small trench around the mushroom shed, place fresh tree-of-heaven branches evenly in the trench, and cover with soil. This has a strong repellent effect on termites.