Content
- 1 Round buds on currants - what are they?
- 2 Signs of bud mite on currants
- 3 Why is bud mite dangerous for currants?
- 4 Remedies for bud mites on currants
- 5 Agrotechnical measures to combat currant bud mite
- 6 How to deal with bud mite on currants
- 7 Currant varieties resistant to bud mite
- 8 Preventive actions
- 9 Conclusion
For berry bushes, which include currants, one of the most common pests was and remains the bud mite. Despite all the measures taken by both breeders and gardeners, this harmful insect appears on bushes with enviable regularity. Therefore, the currant bud mite and the fight against it is one of the most pressing issues for lovers of growing these berry bushes.
Round buds on currants - what are they?
Common currant buds have an egg-shaped, pointed shape and are small in size. They are evenly distributed along the entire length of the shoot, gradually decreasing towards its end. In comparison with them, much larger round buds, reminiscent in structure of a head of cabbage, can stand out sharply on currants.Their appearance indicates the presence of a bud mite on the currant. Large round buds are the place where the pest settles; it is from here that it begins to spread throughout the entire plant.
The pest itself is quite difficult to recognize with the naked eye; its dimensions do not exceed 0.2 mm. At the same time, up to 8 thousand individuals can develop in an infected kidney, which is why it acquires such “bloated” forms.
Signs of bud mite on currants
Currant bushes infected with mites are best seen in the fall, after the leaves fly off. At this time, the swollen, rounded buds, in which mature female mites remain overwintering, are very clearly visible against the background of the others. The same picture is observed in early spring.
After the leaves appear, the appearance of a mite can be detected by indirect signs. Like many sucking insects, these arthropods are carriers of serious viral diseases. If the currant leaves begin to curl, their color and structure change, the shoots become deformed and “witches’ brooms” appear on them, then we can talk about the bush being infected with inversion, leaf mosaic or terry. In this case, it is useless to fight the mite, since the disease will still kill the currants. The bush is simply uprooted and burned.
Why is bud mite dangerous for currants?
The microscopic size of one tick individual is more than compensated by its fertility. In just one season, the female of this insect is capable of reproducing offspring up to 5 times, increasing its number to 40 thousand during this time. Spreading throughout the bush, mites feed on plant juices, making numerous punctures in the buds, leaves, and young shoots.Photo of the bud mite population inside a blackcurrant bud below.
Systematically lacking nutrients, currants are severely inhibited. If you do not take any measures against the tick, the ever-increasing number of ticks will simply kill it literally in 1 season. That is why this insect is one of the most dangerous pests.
Remedies for bud mites on currants
The mite spends the absolute majority of its existence inside currant buds. This makes it difficult to fight it, since the insect is virtually isolated from the external environment. However, there are several ways to combat bud mite on currants. These include the following:
- preventive (including agrotechnical);
- mechanical;
- folk;
- biological;
- chemical.
Preventive and agrotechnical measures are a good way to avoid infection of currants with bud mites, but do not always guarantee a positive result.
Chemical preparations for bud mites on currants
Chemical preparations for bud mites on currants are a fairly effective measure, but it is advisable to use them only when all other methods have already been tried and have not brought the desired result. It must be remembered that the bud mite is an arthropod insect, so conventional insecticides are not suitable for it. The following acaricides and insectoacaricides are used to treat currants:
- Actellik.
- Apollo.
- Vermitek.
- Kinmiks.
- Contos.
- Movento.
- Neoron.
- Nessoran.
- Oberon.
- Forbid 4F.
- Endidor.
All these drugs do not have a strong long-lasting effect. They are used at least twice, in the period before the onset of the budding phase. The interval between spraying should be at least 10-12 days.
It is more effective to treat currants against bud mites with phosphorus-containing acaricides. These drugs are stronger, but they can only be used after harvest, in the fall. Such means include the following.
- Accent.
- BI-58.
- Dimetrin.
- Nitrafen.
- Pilarmax.
- Rogor-S.
- Sun Mite.
- Famidophos.
- Phosfamide.
A good chemical remedy for bud mites on currants is colloidal sulfur. For spraying, it is necessary to prepare an aqueous solution of this substance. For 10 liters of water you need to take 10 g of colloidal sulfur. This preparation is used to treat bushes and root zones once before the plants bloom. If necessary, spraying can be repeated after flowering, but in this case the sulfur concentration should be reduced by half. When preparing a solution for spraying, do not exceed the recommended dosage. An overly concentrated solution of colloidal sulfur can burn currant leaves.
Biological agents
Biological means of protection against bud mites on currants are not inferior in their effectiveness to chemical ones, but unlike the latter, they do not have a negative impact on the environment. This is due to the fact that the active substance of such compositions is obtained from fungi and bacteria. Biological means of controlling bud mites on black currants and other berry bushes include the following drugs:
- Akarin.
- Aktofit.
- Bicol.
- Bitoxibacillin.
- Boverin.
- Fitoverm.
Unlike chemicals, biological drugs are less persistent and lose their effectiveness quite quickly. Therefore, treatment with them is repeated many times with an interval of 7-10 days. The drugs are alternated for greater effectiveness. As a rule, treatment is carried out before the end of flowering, and also in the fall, after there are no more berries left on the bush.
A significant disadvantage of biological products is that they only work at elevated air temperatures. It should be in the range of + 15 °C and above. As the temperature drops below the specified value, the effectiveness of using biological preparations to protect currants from bud mites drops sharply, and when the temperature drops to + 5 °C and below, their use is useless, since it will not give any result.
Folk remedies
To combat bud mites on currants, traditional methods are often used. If the degree of damage to the bush is small, this is where you should start. Folk remedies are good because they do not cause any harm to the environment. This treatment can be done in early spring, when cold weather does not yet allow the use of biological acaricides. Here are the most popular folk remedies for bud mites on currants.
- Infusion of onion peel.
- Infusion of tobacco.
- Garlic infusion.
- Infusion of green walnuts.
- Mustard solution.
- Dandelion infusion.
A good way to treat currants against bud mites is to pour boiling water over the bushes in early spring.
Using a watering can, the bush is watered with water heated to 90 °C. This treatment not only destroys ticks, but also fights pathogens of fungal diseases well. Experienced gardeners recommend giving currants such a hot shower not only in spring, but also in autumn, after leaf fall, when mite-infested buds are clearly visible on clean branches.
Agrotechnical measures to combat currant bud mite
Proper agricultural technology for growing currants is a good prevention of the appearance of bud mites. The more factors are taken into account when planting and caring for shrubs, the less likely it is that various pests and diseases will appear on it. Agrotechnical measures include such measures to combat bud mites.
- Selection of the place most suitable for currants.
- Compliance with the requirements for soil composition and moisture.
- Timely feeding.
- Crop rotation.
- Weeding and loosening of soil in the root zone and between rows.
- Compliance with the necessary intervals when planting in groups, preventing the plantings from being crowded.
- Selection of high-quality planting material, processing it before planting.
- Constant visual control of the bushes.
- Timely and competent pruning and destruction of plant debris.
One of the agrotechnical measures against the appearance of currant bud mite is planting garlic between the rows. The smell of this plant repels insects.
A video about some ways to combat bud mite on currants can be viewed at the link below:
How to deal with bud mite on currants
In early spring, even before the snow melts in the garden, you should definitely inspect the overwintered currant bushes. If during examination characteristic swollen kidneys were noticed, then measures should be taken immediately. Until the infection becomes widespread, you can get rid of the tick using the mildest measures, without resorting to chemicals.
How to treat currants against bud mites in spring
The very first measure to combat the currant bud mite, carried out in the spring, is spraying with boiling water. Even if no signs of a bud mite were found during the inspection, it is strongly recommended to rinse the bushes with hot water. This will significantly strengthen their immunity, and at the same time kill both pests and fungal spores. Some gardeners, instead of boiling water, treat currant branches with an open fire in early spring using a blowtorch or gas burner. If you move the torch quickly and evenly along the shoots, the flame will not burn the bark and closed buds, but the pests will suffer quite a lot.
If a small number of swollen buds are found, they can be collected manually. This work is quite long and painstaking, since every branch will have to be examined. In the absence of leaves, the disproportionately large round buds infected with mites are clearly visible. They need to be plucked off and collected in some kind of jar, and then burned. If most of the currant shoot shows signs of mite infestation, then it is better to completely remove such a branch by cutting it at the root with pruning shears.
There is a relationship between the period of maturation of a sexually mature individual of the currant bud mite and the ambient temperature. The warmer it gets outside, the less time it takes for the larva to hatch from the egg and turn into an adult insect capable of producing offspring. For example, at an ambient temperature of about + 15 °C, a tick needs about 25-30 days to reach this stage of development, and at + 25 °C this period is reduced to 10 days. Depending on this, you should plan the frequency of spraying currant bushes.
Air temperature, °C | Interval between treatments, days |
10 | 15 |
15 | 12 |
20 | 10 |
25 | 5 |
30 | 3 |
When the air temperature rises to + 10 °C, the development of overwintered ticks begins. The first release should be expected after 3.5 weeks, when the temperature rises to + 18 °C. It is very important to carry out the treatment precisely in this first wave, in this case the females will not be able to lay eggs and the population will be significantly reduced. Repeated application will kill those ticks that survived the first spray. The third time the currants are treated against bud mites for insurance. In cool weather, it is better to use acaricides for this, but if the air temperature is high, then it would be more correct to use biological products.
How to treat currants against bud mites in the fall
As in the spring, in the fall it is necessary to take a number of measures to combat the bud mite on currants. If during the season, as well as during inspection or pruning, no signs of the pest were detected (no swollen buds), then it is quite enough to rinse the currant bushes with boiling water. If a tick was discovered in the spring, and its appearance was also noticed in the summer, then the bushes need to be examined more carefully.If swollen buds are found, they should be removed, but if there are 1/5 or more of the infected buds on the shoot, then the shoot is cut out completely. Heavily infected bushes under the age of 5 years are cut off at ground level, subsequently growing it again, but if the bush is old, then it is simply uprooted entirely.
Treatment of currants against mites with chemical and biological preparations in the fall is less effective than in the spring, since the female insects are already in the buds, preparing for winter and do not migrate. At this time, it is recommended to use stronger drugs. They will not completely destroy the tick, but will significantly reduce its number. The negative impact of strong pesticides on the environment at this time of year is not so strong. Before the onset of the new season, such preparations are guaranteed to decompose or their concentration will decrease to negligible levels, posing no danger to humans or other beneficial inhabitants of the garden.
Currant varieties resistant to bud mite
One of the preventive measures that reduces the likelihood of this pest appearing on currant bushes is the choice of a suitable variety. Thanks to breeding work, there are many of them. The most well-known currant varieties resistant to bud mite are shown in the table below:
Black | Red | White |
Belarusian sweet Mystery Irmen Leningrad giant Leningradskaya sweet Nara Oryol serenade Otradnaya Early Potapenko Nightingale night Black Pearl Minx Vigorous | Scarlet Dawn Cherry Vixne Ilyinka Red Cross Lights of the Urals Ural beauty Chulkovskaya | Bayana White fairy Squirrel Versailles white Snezhana |
Preventive actions
Prevention of the appearance of bud mites on currants begins from the moment of purchasing planting material. When purchasing cuttings or seedlings, it is necessary to conduct a visual inspection of them. You should not take seedlings from infected bushes. Before planting, it is imperative to heat treat the seedlings by keeping them in water heated to 40-45 °C for 15-20 minutes. A good preventative measure is to soak a seedling or rooted cutting for a day in a disinfectant solution. To prepare it, add colloidal sulfur and agrovertin (40 and 10 g, respectively) to 1 bucket of water.
After planting seedlings in open ground and in subsequent years, you need to regularly trim the bushes, prevent them from thickening, and remove dry and broken branches. All spotted mite buds on currants must be immediately picked off and destroyed. You can plant garlic between the rows. The tick cannot stand its smell. In early spring and autumn, the bushes need to be watered with hot water.
Conclusion
The currant bud mite and the fight against it is a serious problem that can cause a lot of trouble for the gardener.However, with a competent approach and implementation of all recommended measures for caring for currants, possible crop losses can be significantly minimized, and in many cases reduced to zero. It is also important that most of these measures are comprehensive; they contribute not only to protection from bud mites, but also from other pests and diseases.
