Here are some tips for managing pests and spraying watermelons

Here are some tips for managing pests and spraying watermelons:

When to start spraying: Begin spraying fungicides when the vines start to run or when the first male flowers open.

How often to spray: Spray every 10 days until mid-May, then every week until harvest.

How to apply: Apply fungicides before a predicted rain, allowing time for them to dry.

What to use: For bacterial fruit blotch, use copper-based compounds or Actigard fungicides. For other diseases, use systemic fungicides.

How to control specific pests:
Red pumpkin beetle: Spray with Carbaryl or Metacid during the seedling stage.

Aphids: Spray with Malathion, Metasystox, or Rogor before the attack becomes severe.

Fruit fly: The adult fly lays eggs in the flowers, which hatch into maggots that feed inside the fruit.

Mites: Mites are more of a problem in the summer, when they cover the lower surface of leaves in white webs.

Here are some tips for handling pesticides:
Use clean water.

Protect your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hands.
Use hand gloves, a face mask, and a cap.
Use the right kind of equipment and nozzle.
Don’t apply pesticides against the wind.
Don’t apply pesticides on hot, sunny days, or during strong winds.
Don’t apply pesticides just before or after it rains.
Wash the sprayer and bucket with soap water after spraying.
Don’t use containers or buckets used for mixing pesticides for domestic purposes.