A small and seemingly harmless spider mite can cause a lot of problems to the gardener and grower. Firstly, it spoils the appearance of flowers, and secondly, leads to their death. But if you know what the spider mite is dangerous with and how to fight it, you can completely protect your garden from this pest.
Spider mite: pest description
The spider mite is a representative of the arachnid class. It is resistant to the effects of insecticide preparations, chemicals from a common mite hardly have an effect on a spider mite. The pest is red, yellow or orange. Spider's web is one of most common pests garden and vegetable garden.
Did you know? According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest ticks can reach 3.6 cm in length.
A cobweb is a very small mite, a small insect, having an oval shape and reaching a size of 0.4-1.0 mm. Some individuals with a good appetite can reach 2 mm. The body of the pest is covered with small setae, placed very rarely.
Pests settle on the underside of the leaf. You can determine the defeat of a plant by insects by light points on the leaf surface. After some time, they move to the upper side of the sheet. Reproduction of pests occurs when daylight is more than 14 hours and the air temperature is from 12 to 40 degrees. In harsh conditions, females hide in shelters and fall into diapauseduring which life processes in the body slow down, which allows insects to exist for a long time without food.
The female of the pest comes to life immediately after the conditions become favorable, and begins to absorb a large amount of food and reproduce. These insects do not tolerate moisture, so in the premises a favorable environment is dry air.
Did you know? The spiderweb female lays more than 200 eggs, from which yellowish translucent larvae hatch.
Spiderweb lives in gardens and in gardens, but can easily get into the room — it can fly in with a gust of wind through an open window. Spider mite in this case is placed on the room flowers and feeds on them. Also, a flower mite can appear in the house on a bouquet of flowers or with a ground for planting, and the question arises: how to get rid of it. If the spider mite appeared on indoor plants, you need to know how to deal with it correctly.
Yucca, azalea, date palm, mandarin, klerodendrum, orchid, cactus, anthurium, dieffenbachia, begonia, calla, decembrist, monstera, maranth, gloxinia, and violet can suffer from the attack of spider mite.
What harm to plants can cause spider mites, signs of a pest?
The most common types are common and red spider mite. Normal damages flowers, fruit, ornamental and vegetable crops. Cellular sap is the insect's favorite food. They pierce the surface of the leaves and infect the flora, sucking the juice and disrupting the structural integrity - the leaves dry out and crumble. Since the insect is very small, it is difficult to detect it. A sign that the plant is sick is web. If insects accumulate in large numbers on the leaves, light spots are found that form large white areas and increase in size.
On an infected flower, leaves and buds fall, flowering stops. Most often you can find spider mites on a rose or chrysanthemum.
In the affected leaf, the intensity of photosynthesis slows down, this makes the flower painful and susceptible to infectious diseases. The pest itself is a distributor of infections: gray mold, viral diseases.
Spider mite annoys many garden trees, shrubs and flowers: spruce, willow, thuja, spirea, juniper, hydrangea, camellia, chubushnik, canne, carnation, aster, petunia, morning glory, mallow.
How to deal with spider mite
Let's look at how to deal with a spider mite.
After the spider mite has appeared on plants, it is necessary to immediately begin to combat it.
To begin with, treat the plant with a solution of detergent or laundry soap. Use warm solution. If you use this method, you will not get rid of the pest completely, but you will be able to destroy a significant part. If the cobweb appeared on single colors, they need to be removed. The fight against spider mites on indoor plants is primarily correct watering, after which you should cover the plants with plastic bags for three days.
Did you know? Many insects live without food for several years. For example, a scorpion can live without food for two years, and a tick can live for ten years.
Chemical methods of struggle, how to get rid of spider mites with drugs
To get rid of the pest completely, spray the leaves. To do this, use phosphorus or sulfur preparations. Sulfur and phosphate preparations from spider mites need to alternate.
The following substances are also effective in fighting insects:
- Vermitek;
- "Actofit";
- "Fitoverm";
- "Actellic".
These high-quality drugs are able to effectively destroy the pest. It is required to spray the plantings several times with a break of a couple of weeks, since insecticides cannot kill insect eggs, it is necessary to wait until new pests are born.
Means "Fitoverm" you can destroy pests even indoors, because the drug has low toxicity. Keep in mind the means of protection: wash hands thoroughly after handling, change clothes.
The drug "Aktellik" - an even more effective remedy for pests. It is much more toxic and kills insects almost immediately. "Actellic" is recommended when other means no longer help, with a massive defeat of plants. Treatment with this drug is carried out only in open space, observe all precautions and keep away from pets.
Neoron destroys both adults and their eggs after two treatments.
Important! Insect does not tolerate ultraviolet rays, for this reason it hides under the leaves. Get rid of it with the help of ultraviolet does not completely work, but it is possible to reduce the population.
Folk methods of dealing with spider mites
If it is not possible to purchase a chemical remedy for pests, use folk home remedies to combat ticks. Rather effective method of dealing with spider webs - dousing with cold water. Conduct dousing only if the plant is able to withstand it. Fighting a spider mite with folk remedies is possible even when the plant cannot be sprayed - you must place a jar of turpentine or finely chopped garlic next to it. A shrub with the specified means is covered with an oilcloth and left for several hours.
Garlic can also be used to make a drug that is sprayed with an infected plant. Take about 200 grams of finely chopped garlic and cover with a liter of water. Tightly close the container with the mixture and leave for 24 hours. To spray affected flowers, take only 6 grams of solution per liter of water.
Spider mites can live on garden crops: cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, pumpkins, melons.
In a similar way, you can make a solution of onions, which is not required to be diluted.
Very effective in the fight against insects medicinal dandelion. In finished form, this tool is sold in any pharmacy. 30 grams of dandelion roots chop and fill with a liter of water. Let the solution stand for a few hours. Strain and use for spraying. Another popular remedy is cyclamen: boil several tubers of cyclamen for about three-quarters of an hour. Cool the mixture and let it brew for several days. After that, spray the insect-infected flower. After five days, repeat the procedure.
If hard-leaved plants are affected, use regular medical alcohol. Moisten a cotton swab in it, rub the leaves with a thin layer so that the alcohol does not cause burns. Before you carry out the procedure, try the method on one sheet.
Many garden fruit crops are exposed to the attack of spider mite: strawberry, currant, raspberry, gooseberry, plum, pear.
Preventive measures, how to protect plants from spider mites
Before you think about the destruction of Putin's mite, you should talk about preventing its occurrence, since it is much more difficult to remove the spider mite than to protect the plants.
The pest is viable. He experiences the most severe conditions in secluded places, and then appears again on the sheet and begins to multiply. However, you can protect the plant from the pest, if you follow simple tips on prevention.
- It is necessary to regularly spray the flowers and wipe them with a wet sponge.
- When heating is turned on indoors, the plants should be more frequently inspected, especially room chrysanthemums and roses.
- Carefully study the flowers brought to the house and indoor plants - observe for several days, as the pest could hide in the unblown sheets.
- Before planting the soil must be etched.
A spider mite is a serious pest capable of hitting the entire landing as soon as possible. Now you can use effective remedies against spider mites - both chemical and popular, made at home.