Content
- 1 How to identify mites on strawberries
- 2 Why are there mites in strawberries?
- 3 How to treat and how to deal with spider mites and strawberry mites on strawberries in spring, summer, and autumn
- 4 Measures to prevent and protect strawberries from strawberry mites
- 5 Strawberry varieties resistant to strawberry mite
- 6 Conclusion
It is important to fight the strawberry mite on strawberries competently and in a timely manner, otherwise the crop will suffer and the crop may die. There are several reasons for the appearance of the pest and many ways to combat it - drugs, folk remedies, repellent plants. Planting varieties resistant to it and other preventive measures will help prevent the appearance of ticks.
How to identify mites on strawberries
The dimensions of the pest are microscopic - the length of females is 0.2 mm, males are 1.5 times smaller.It is important to know what a strawberry infected with a mite looks like:
- bushes are underdeveloped;
- the leaves are small, wrinkled and curled, and have acquired a yellowish tint;
- there is a silvery coating on the back of the records;
- crushing berries;
- the fruits dry out before they have time to ripen;
- winter hardiness decreases.
The larvae mature in only 2-3 weeks. Intensive growth lasts the same amount of time before becoming an adult.
You should study all the signs of strawberry mites on strawberries, partially shown in the photo. Treatment should be started immediately. The short period of larval growth and enormous fecundity lead to the fact that up to five generations of the pest can appear in one season.
The tick causes maximum harm in the second half of summer; it reproduces most actively in August
How to distinguish a nematode from a mite on strawberries
The signs of damage by strawberry mite and nematode are similar, both have a microscopic size. The main difference is the type of leaves. When affected by strawberry mites, their color becomes lighter, and due to the nematode, dark green leathery spots appear, the central veins swell in several places, which resembles fractures.
Plants infected with the worm have reddish leaf petioles. They are shortened and twisted, but thick. There is strong branching of the stems, an ugly shape of the ovaries, buds, flowers, and fruits. The stems and tendrils thicken, and pale green growths appear.
There are different types of strawberry mite - spider mite, cyclamen mite, transparent
Why are there mites in strawberries?
The mite is microscopic in size; it usually spreads throughout the area due to wind, rain, birds, humans - on clothes, shoes, tools. Infection of neighboring bushes occurs through tendrils and touching leaves. The following conditions contribute to the appearance of the pest:
- shaded place;
- high planting density;
- irregular weeding and loosening;
- non-compliance with crop rotation;
- use of infected planting material.
Weather is considered an important factor for emergence and reproduction. Spider mites prefer dry and sunny areas, while clear and cyclamen mites love irrigated soil. Optimal conditions for reproduction are temperature 19-25 °C and high (80-90%) humidity.
With the onset of autumn, the number of ticks decreases; they hibernate at temperatures of 12 °C and below. To survive the cold, pests climb into the heart of the bush or the folds of young ground leaves.
How to treat and how to deal with spider mites and strawberry mites on strawberries in spring, summer, and autumn
There are different ways to combat strawberry mite. It can be destroyed using chemicals, folk remedies, or repelled by certain plants. It is effective to combine several methods at once.
Preparations for mites on strawberries
An effective way to get rid of strawberry mites on strawberries is to use chemicals. They require compliance with security measures.
Karbofos
This drug is a contact-intestinal insectoacaricide with a wide spectrum of action and is considered one of the best remedies for strawberry mites on strawberries.Karbofos is based on malathion, which is tasteless and odorless. If it gets on the body and digestive system of a tick, the substance becomes very toxic and leads to death within a few hours.
You can buy water-soluble powder, suspension or ready-made working solution. Strawberries are treated against mites after harvest in August. First you need to remove the leaves, then pour the product on each outlet. To destroy a tick, an 8-liter bucket of water requires a 60-gram packet of the drug in powder. After treatment, it is recommended to cover the area with film.
In open ground, Karbofos is effective for up to 1.5 weeks, then disintegrates without poisoning the soil, water and air.
Neoron
This contact action insectoacaricide is based on bromopropylate. An ampoule of the drug must be dissolved in 10 liters of water - this volume is enough for 20 m². To destroy the mite, you need to treat the stems and leaves on both sides with the product. When spraying in spring, at least 1.5 months should remain before harvest.
Ambient temperature does not affect the effectiveness of Neoron. The effect of the drug lasts up to four weeks.
One of the advantages of Neoron is safety for bees, fish, birds, warm-blooded animals
Fufanon-Nova
This drug is an insectoacaricide and is based on malathion. It acts on ticks in a similar way to Karbofos. The prepared solution should be used to treat the strawberry stems and leaves on both sides. Do this in calm weather in the morning or evening.
To destroy strawberry mites, it is convenient to use the drug in the form of an aqueous emulsion.A 2 ml ampoule must be dissolved in 1.7 liters of water. This volume of product is enough for 10 m² of planting. Strawberries should be sprayed twice with an interval of seven days. There should be at least three weeks left before harvesting after the last treatment with the drug.
Fufanon-Nova can be used in April-August, protection lasts 1-1.5 weeks
Aktellik
This insectoacaricide has a wide spectrum of action. It is based on pirimiphos-methyl. To spray strawberries, you need to dissolve 15 ml of the drug in 10 liters of water. This volume of product is enough to treat one hundred square meters of plantings. To destroy the tick, spraying is carried out twice with an interval of 20 days. There should be at least three weeks left before the strawberry harvest.
The effect of Actellik lasts up to 1.5 weeks, the period depends on the weather
Akarin
One of the best insectoacaricides is the drug Akarin. It is based on Avertin-N, which paralyzes the tick for 4-16 hours. The substance does not accumulate in fruits. You can harvest the crop within three days after spraying with the drug.
To treat strawberries against strawberry mites, dilute 1-2 ml of Akarin in 1 liter of water and mix thoroughly. Wet the leaves evenly, choose dry and clear weather, without wind.
The drug Akarin is best used at 18-34 ° C, the protective effect lasts up to five days.
Apollo
You can destroy strawberry mites with this drug based on clofentesine. Its toxic effects last for at least a month. Apollo will not destroy adult ticks, but it will sterilize them - their ability to reproduce will disappear.
To spray strawberries, you need to prepare a solution - 2 ml of the drug per 5 liters of water. The liquid turns out bright pink. This volume is enough to process a hundred square meters.
Apollo is not harmful to beneficial mites and insects, predatory wasps, and bees
Fitoverm
This drug is an insectoacaricide and is based on aversectin C. The substance acts on the nervous system of ticks, causing paralysis and subsequent death. In open ground, the drug begins to work after 8-16 hours, protection lasts up to two weeks.
To destroy ticks, Fitoverm 0.1% must be diluted at the rate of 1-2 ml per liter of water. This volume is enough for at least ten bushes. 3-4 sprayings with the drug are needed at weekly intervals. After treatment, strawberries cannot be harvested for at least three days.
To destroy a tick, Fitoverm must be used at a temperature of + 18 °C
Tiovit Jet
This drug is based on sulfur and is both an acaricide and a fungicide, that is, it not only destroys mites, but also helps with powdery mildew and other diseases. To process strawberries, a 10-liter bucket of water requires 10 g of Thiovit Jet. To destroy the tick, spraying must be repeated several times a season.
The drug Tiovit Jet provides protection for 1-1.5 weeks
Folk remedies for strawberry mites on strawberries
You can also destroy strawberry mites using traditional methods. Often they do not require additional costs.
Phytoseiulus
This name hides a special type of predatory mite-acariphage. You can buy it in gardening stores or order it online. This acarifage feeds on other mites, including spider mites and strawberry mites. One female can eat up to 30 eggs or 15-25 adult individuals per day.
To destroy the strawberry mite, it is enough to release 10-15 phytoseiulus per 1 m².They reproduce and develop quickly. Females of this acariphage live for three weeks, laying an average of four eggs.
In combination with Phytoseiulus, another predatory mite, Amblyseius, is also used.
Onion peel
To destroy the pest, you need to prepare an infusion of dry husks - add warm water (10 liters per 0.2 kg), leave for five days, strain. You can spray strawberries against mites before flowering and after harvesting. 2-3 treatments at 5-day intervals are recommended.
Strawberries treated with onion skins should be covered with film for a day.
Garlic
An effective method of combating strawberry mites on strawberries is an infusion of garlic.
You need to prepare the product like this:
- Peel 1.5 kg of garlic, chop, place in a suitable jar.
- Add 1.5 liters of water.
- Close the jar tightly with a plastic lid.
- Infuse for 1-1.5 weeks in a dark, warm place. The liquid should turn brown and the garlic should settle.
- Strain the composition.
The product can be stored for months when bottled. To destroy a tick, it is enough to add 50-60 ml of concentrate to 10 liters of water. You need to spray strawberries several times. The first treatment is carried out in the spring after the snow melts at the beginning of bush growth - pay special attention to the leaf petioles where the pest overwinters. Then two more sprayings are needed at weekly intervals.
If the strawberries are severely affected by mites, then during budding it is worth using a more saturated product - 0.7 kg of garlic, pour 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 24 hours, dilute 1:10.
Both garlic itself and its peel are suitable for preparing remedies for spider mites.
Decoction of tomato leaves with laundry soap
Tomato tops and laundry soap will help destroy strawberry mites on strawberries. The product is prepared as follows:
- Pour 1 kg of leaves with stems into 10 liters of water and leave for several hours.
- Boil the infusion for three hours, strain.
- Strain the resulting mixture and dilute it in two parts of water.
- Add 1/5 bar of crushed laundry soap (40 g).
You need to process strawberries when the product has cooled down.
A decoction of tomato tops and soap can be used not only to kill mites, but also to prevent their appearance
Mix from the pharmacy
The product according to this recipe destroys not only strawberry mites, but also many other pests. To prepare 40 liters of water you need:
- 80 ml birch tar;
- 10 g boric acid;
- 40 ml of ammonia;
- 25 ml iodine;
- 30 ml fir oil.
All ingredients must be mixed and sprinkled with the resulting mixture on strawberries.
Ammonia in a pharmaceutical mixture can be replaced with ammonium nitrate to make the smell of the product less pungent
Dandelion leaf infusion
Fresh dandelion leaves will help destroy strawberry mites. You need to prepare an infusion from them:
- Finely chop 0.8 kg of greens.
- Pour in 10 liters of water heated to 40-50 °C.
- Leave for four hours, during which time shake three times.
- Strain.
Use the prepared product immediately for spraying. After processing, cover the strawberries with film for several hours.
Dandelion leaves should be cut off immediately before preparing the infusion to kill the mite.
Plants that repel pests
One of the ways to destroy the strawberry mite and prevent its appearance is to plant repellent plants next to the strawberries. They are also called insecticides.
Tansy
This herbaceous perennial is a weed, often found along roads, fields, meadows, and birch forests. It is poisonous, thujone in the composition provides toxicity, and camphor has a special smell.
Tansy saves the garden not only from pests, but also from the tobacco mosaic virus
Lavender angustifolia
Ticks do not like this plant because of its specific smell. All parts of lavender angustifolia contain essential oils, including camphor, linalool, and ocimene. The pest does not tolerate these substances.
Lavender is valuable not only as a tick repellent, but also as an ornamental, medicinal plant and nectar plant.
Dalmatian chamomile
This plant is also called pyrethrum. Due to the toxic substances in its composition, it affects the muscles and nervous system of pests.
Dalmatian chamomile is best planted in a sunny and fertile place
Cat mint
This plant is otherwise called catnip. The perennial repels insects with its strong odor due to the high content of essential oil. Catnip is easy to care for and blooms from mid-summer.
Catnip resembles nettle, but its leaves are smaller and do not sting.
Common rosemary
This type of perennial is also called medicinal. It repels ticks with its aroma, which is provided by the composition of the essential oil. It is contained in different parts of the plant - leaves, flowers, shoot tips.
Rosemary is an evergreen plant that begins to bloom in April-May
Henbane black
This biennial has an unpleasant odor and all parts are poisonous. This repels not only ticks, but also other pests.When planting, it should be taken into account that for some insects the plant is food. This mainly applies to the Colorado potato beetle and the cabbage butterfly.
Dried henbane can be used to make decoctions, infusions and powder for treating plants against pests
Measures to prevent and protect strawberries from strawberry mites
The strawberry mite can severely infect strawberries and lead to their death. It is important not only to destroy pests in a timely manner, but also to take preventive measures to prevent them from appearing:
- buy only healthy planting material from trusted places;
- do not plant strawberries in lowlands or shade;
- loosen and weed the soil in a timely manner;
- follow the planting scheme so that the bushes are ventilated and well lit;
- regularly cut off old foliage, get rid of excess tendrils and rosettes;
- timely and competently feed the crop;
- after harvesting, but until mid-August, strawberries can be trimmed - plant residues can be collected and burned;
- if there are few foci of infection, then it is better to dig up these bushes and burn them;
- observe crop rotation - return strawberries to their old place after at least four years, maintain the same interval after nightshades and cucumbers;
- change mulch annually;
- periodically renew the strawberries and replant them in a new place.
Seedlings can be disinfected by immersing them in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Maximum temperature 65 °C. Only the top of the rosette and the leaves should be dipped into water so as not to harm the root system.
Strawberry varieties resistant to strawberry mite
It is not easy to destroy the strawberry mite, especially in advanced cases.The risk of this pest can be reduced by using varieties that are resistant to it, for example, Albion, Vityaz, Zarya, Zenga Zengana, Omskaya rannyaya (partial resistance), Torpeda, Honey and Elsanta.
The mite rarely affects forest and small-fruited strawberries, although they can be its carrier. Varieties with delicate foliage and glucose-rich fruits are especially susceptible to the pest.
Conclusion
It is better to combat strawberry mites on strawberries in a comprehensive manner. You should pay attention to pest-resistant varieties and take preventive measures. Ticks can be destroyed using chemicals and folk remedies.
