Content
The headache of gardeners and gardeners is the tiny spider mite, which sucks the juices from many types of ornamental and cultivated plants. This insect reproduces quickly and adapts to poisons. This article will talk about how to get rid of spider mites using special medications and folk remedies.
The pest destroys the leaves of vegetable crops, ornamental indoor and outdoor plants, and trees. The fight against it will be successful only if you use repeatedly tested drugs and recipes based on the vital functions of the arthropod.
Methods of pest control are very different. There are 3 groups of drugs used for this:
- Chemical preparations – insectoacaricides.
- Biochemical agents or biological products.
- Folk recipes.
But first, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the biology of the mite, which will allow you to understand how to eradicate the pest from your flowers and plants.
Description of the insect
The spider mite is an arthropod animal belonging to the Arachnida class. There are approximately 1,300 species of ticks. Distributed everywhere.
What does a spider mite look like? Its interesting feature is the absence of respiratory organs and eyes. The average size is 1 mm. There are species with a size of up to 2 mm. Although there are also microscopic mites, the size of which is 0.2 mm. The body of the arthropod is oval, divided into 2 unequal parts or whole. The body is convex on top and flat on the bottom. The adult has 8 legs, 4 on each side.
Since there are many types of ticks, their colors can be very different. There are red, red, yellowish, colorless and gray individuals. The mouth is piercing and is a large heart-shaped formation with two stylets. Lives most often on leaves.
Representatives of this phylum of Arthropods exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males are small and have an elongated body. The larva has only 6 legs and is transparent, and the nymph has a larger body than the male and has 8 legs.
Types of spider mites
Although there are more than 1,300 species of ticks in nature, however, there are their most common representatives:
- Ordinary. Destroys almost all indoor, decorative and growing plants in greenhouses and open ground. Mites live in colonies, most often located on the inside of the leaf. However, they gradually move to the shoots, namely to their apical parts. First, typical yellow dots and spots appear on the leaves. A white thin web forms between the stems and leaves. The color of the tick is red-pink. Not only adult individuals destroy the plant, but even their larvae.They can migrate from a damaged plant to a healthy one, gradually destroying all plantings.
- Atlantic. It has a yellow-green color. Can settle on any part of the plant. Unlike other species, the Atlantic spider mite is not afraid of even high humidity. Affects citrus and domestic palm trees.
- False. Has a length of up to 0.3 mm. It comes in all shades from red to green. Doesn't spin webs. If ticks become noticeable, then the damage is already huge.
- Red spider mite settles on indoor flowers. The pest is afraid of cold water and high humidity. The higher the temperature, the faster the reproduction process takes place.
- Cyclamen. The very name of the arthropod speaks for itself, since its main delicacy is cyclamens. But it also occurs on other plants.
- Gallic elongated shape, up to 0.3 mm long. The color ranges from rusty brown to white. After mites suck out the contents of the cells, galls (pathological growths of cells) are formed on shoots and leaves, reaching a diameter of 1–2.5 cm. Mites live and reproduce inside the galls. This type of pest spreads with planting material, irrigation water and with the help of insects and wind. Gall mites are not afraid of even viral diseases.
- Broad spider mite. The arthropod is invisible when viewed with the naked eye. Its actions lead to distortion of the shape of flowers, buds and leaves. Settles on the underside of leaves. Actively reproducing. During the hot summer, a new army of arthropods hatches every 4–5 days. After a short amount of time, brown-red dust with cobwebs forms on the affected plants and flowers.To destroy pests, you can use colloidal sulfur preparations, as well as keltan. Flat-bodied or broad-bodied ticks do not weave webs.
- Bryobia mites settle on ornamental plants growing in closed spaces. Yellowish and white streaks are clear evidence of plant damage. The mite lays fairly large eggs along the veins of the leaves; they have a bright orange color.
- Clover mite settles mainly on bulbous flowers. On a plant affected by the clover mite, passages are visible that are filled with brown dust.
- Root bulbous spider mite The pest is visible when examining a cultivated or ornamental plant. Lays eggs in tunnels. At one time, the female can lay approximately 300 eggs. Gradually, the pest eats away the inside of the bulb, as a result of which it turns into dust.
All types of these pests survive even under unfavorable conditions, so control measures must be severe. Female spider mites can hide by burrowing in the ground or hiding in secluded places, such as under fallen leaves or in the cracks of pots. After this, they go into diapause or hibernation. After this, they exit the sleep phase and continue their normal activities.
The main signs of plant damage
As a result of damage to a flower or cultivated plant by one of the types of spider mites, the cells die. As a result, the plant becomes more vulnerable to diseases and infections. If you find small white dots on the leaves and thin cobwebs on the stems, this means that a spider mite has settled on the flower. Some species do not spin webs, as mentioned above. With strong reproduction, mites become noticeable on the plant.
With multiple damage, the leaves acquire a characteristic white color. They are most often completely covered with cobwebs, and pests accumulate at the tips of the shoots. Arthropods are also dangerous because they are carriers of all kinds of infections and diseases. For example, it can carry gray mold spores.
How to destroy a pest
There are a number of preventive and therapeutic actions aimed at preserving green mass and protecting it from spider mites. Next, options for combating spider mites will be considered in accordance with the location of the plants.
From greenhouse plants
How to get rid of spider mites in a greenhouse? There are a number of preventive measures that prevent the proliferation of spider mites; in fact, this is normal crop care:
- Regular weeding and subsequent loosening of the soil.
- Compliance with crop rotation rules.
- Autumn digging of soil.
- Maintaining proper air humidity for the greenhouse.
- Regular watering and mulching.
- Inspect leaves for spider mite damage. If any are found, they should be cut off and burned.
Many gardeners prefer to use folk remedies, believing that this is the best and safest way to eliminate spider mites. They resort to the use of chemicals only in exceptional cases. Recipes for decoctions and infusions will be given below in this article.
To achieve better results, alternate between spider mite remedies.
From indoor plants
As is the case with greenhouse plants, indoor plants also require preventive measures:
- Inspect leaves daily.
- Washing flowers under warm running water.
- Wiping and spraying the green mass with a solution of laundry soap.
- After a day or two, place the plants under an ultraviolet lamp for 1-2 minutes.
- If you suspect that a mite has appeared on the flowers, but are not entirely sure, then for preventative purposes, wipe the leaves with pure medical alcohol.
If it was still not possible to save the plant from the mite, then it is necessary to begin an active fight, and you may have to use special means.
Folk recipes
There are many methods to combat ticks. We invite you to consider several effective recipes for mite infusions and decoctions.
Soap solution
To treat greenhouse plants, you need to make a concentrated soap solution. A bucket of warm water contains 200 g of laundry soap. To make it dissolve more easily, you can grate it or chop it with a knife.
The composition must be left for about three hours, then mixed and sprayed onto the infected plantings. You can replace soap with dishwashing liquid.
Indoor flowers can be wiped with a soapy sponge. It is important to use only laundry soap. In addition to the leaves and stems, the pot should also be treated. The ground around the plant must be sprayed with a solution prepared on the basis of laundry soap.
Wash off the leaves from the soap only after 3-4 hours. This is done in running water. It is then covered with polyethylene to temporarily maintain high humidity.
Another effective solution is prepared from tar-sulfur soap. In this case, 1 liter of water contains 10 g of soap, previously grated on a coarse grater.For three weeks you need to treat the plant every 7 days.
A solution of sulfur-tar soap can be used for those plants that grow in open ground, both in greenhouses and indoors. 100% result guarantee.
Garlic infusion
You can make infusions from garlic according to different recipes. We invite you to consider several options:
- For 1 liter of water you will need 170 g of chopped garlic. This consistency should be infused for about a week in a dark place. The prepared product must be filtered. Then take 60 g of garlic concentrate per 10 liters of water. You can also add 50 ml of pre-grated laundry soap to this composition.
- Hot water is drawn into the bucket. 30 g of garlic is added to it, which is pre-chopped. This mixture is left in a dark place for a day. Before use, the infusion should be strained. Next, everything is very simple - take a sprayer and spray the stems and leaves of plants that are affected by the mite.
- If you don’t have time to infuse water with garlic, then you can add about 200 g of garlic to 10 liters of liquid, which must first be chopped or mashed. This will create a stronger concentrate.
- Some plants die from spraying or the external attractiveness of the green mass deteriorates. In this case, you can chop the garlic, place it in a small container and place it near the flowerpot, and cover the flower with garlic with plastic wrap. You can leave the plant like this for 1 maximum 2 hours.
Alcohol solution
Before you start fighting spider mites, you need to make a solution, for example, from ammonia. To do this, add 3 ml of ammonia to a 1 liter bucket of water. Leaves are treated with this product by rubbing.It can also be used for greenhouse treatment.
For indoor plants, a soap-alcohol solution is used. So, for 1 liter of boiling water there is approximately 30 g of laundry soap. After the solution has cooled, about 20 ml of alcohol is added to it.
Onion infusion
To prepare onion infusion, you will need 20 g of onion peel, which is poured with warm water. This solution is infused for 12 hours in a warm place. Then the onion infusion is filtered and squeezed out. After this, the plant is sprayed.
Indoor plants can only be wiped. Such manipulations are carried out daily for 1–2 months, it all depends on the condition of the plant.
Herbal decoctions and infusions
An excellent remedy prepared at home to combat ticks is dandelion root. For 1 liter of water there are 30–40 g of roots, previously finely chopped or grated. The product must be infused, then it is filtered and the plant is treated with it.
Yarrow infusion It is prepared as follows: 70–80 g of dry leaves are used per 1 liter of water. After three days, the strained infusion can be used to treat indoor and greenhouse plants.
Decoction of cyclamen roots works well against spider mites. To prepare it, you will need 100 g of the underground part of cyclamen per 1 liter of water. Cyclamen roots should be boiled and strained. The stems and leaves are rubbed with a similar decoction. The treatment can be repeated only after 5 days.
A decoction, as well as an infusion of black henbane very effective. However, in this case you will have to deal with a poisonous plant, so it is extremely important to be careful. So, to prepare 1 liter of infusion, you will need 100 g of this plant.Leave the folk remedy for 10 hours, as it must infuse. Afterwards it is filtered. You can add 2 g of soap to it, always laundry soap. To prepare a decoction of henbane, you will need 2 kg of the plant, which is filled with water and boiled for three hours. After this, the composition is filtered and diluted with ten liters of water.
Potato tops infusion may also help get rid of the tick. So, for one liter of infusion you will need 100 g of chopped fresh tops. This composition is infused for four hours, after which it is filtered. It is often used for processing greenhouses.
Decoction of gray alder leaves It is brewed from 2 kg of fresh leaves, which are filled with ten liters of water. The resulting composition is left for a day. After this time, it must be boiled again and left to steep for another 12 hours.
Horseradish infusion prepared from 100 g of crushed horseradish roots, filled with one liter of cold water. Leave the composition to infuse for 2 - 3 hours, and then treat the plants.
Wormwood decoction helps in the fight against ticks and other pests. One liter of water will require 80 g of dry wormwood. The grass flooded with water is left for two days. Then it needs to be boiled for 30 minutes, strained and diluted in two liters of water.
Rosemary oil as a remedy for ticks
Add a few drops of rosemary oil to 1 liter of water. The composition must be thoroughly mixed and rubbed onto the stems and leaves of the plant.
You should not immediately use chemicals, as the photos show, spider mites also die from folk remedies. Chemicals can damage plants and even kill them.
Chemicals
There are times when such seemingly proven folk remedies are ineffective. In this case, you can resort to the help of chemicals. Next, we will consider the best-selling drugs on the domestic market used to combat spider mites.
The drug Fitoverm
It belongs to the group of insectoacaricides of the fourth toxicity class. Fitoverm is a “weapon” for killing ticks, which has a biological basis. To spray indoor flowers, dilute 2 ml of Fitoverm per 20 ml of liquid. After one week, the spraying procedure must be repeated. As a rule, four and sometimes three sprays are enough to completely destroy the tick.
The drug is 100% effective. One week after the final procedure, it is recommended to feed the plant, for example, with Epin.
Actellik drug
In cases where a plant has been severely damaged by spider mites, the “heavy artillery” comes into play – the chemical drug Actellik. The active substance is pirimiphos-methyl.
The drug is usually used to treat greenhouse plants. Actellik destroys not only spider mites, but also other insects. Included in the second class of chemical hazard. Toxic to people and pets.
It is necessary to carry out no more than two treatments with the drug. After the first, the next treatment is carried out 4–5 days later. Treatment with the drug can only be carried out in a well-ventilated greenhouse or in open ground.
Neoron drug
Included in the group of acaricides. It has an ovicidal effect, thanks to which it destroys not only adults, but also eggs. Typically, 2-3 treatments are sufficient to kill spider mites.
Conclusion
So, by studying the biology of the mite and using one of the above-mentioned remedies, you can save your flowers and cultivated plants from the invasion of spider mites.
We invite you to watch a video on how to get rid of spider mites:
